CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Lanie Grant scored 15 points, Indya Nivar added 14 and No. 21 North Carolina routed SMU 94-42 on Thursday night for its eighth straight victory.
Courtney Banghart secured her 400th career win to become one of 48 active coaches in Division I women’s basketball to reach the mark.
North Carolina jumped out to a 28-9 lead by the end of the first quarter after making 6 of 8 3-pointers, while SMU went 3-for-14 overall. Five different Tar Heel players made a 3-pointer in the first quarter, with Laila Hull going 2 for 2.
Then the Tar Heels went on a 14-0 run, with 3-pointers by Nyla Brooks and Taliyah Henderson, early in the second quarter for a 31-point lead. Hull made North Carolina's ninth 3-pointer of the first half — on just 12 attempts — for a 49-18 lead at the break.
North Carolina's lead did not drop below 31 points in the second half.
Henderson finished with 13 points and Hull had 11 for North Carolina (21-5, 10-3 ACC).
Zahra King led SMU (8-17, 1-12) with 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting. The Mustangs have lost six straight games.
The Tar Heels finished 12 of 26 from 3-point range, while SMU went 12 of 52 overall (23%).
SMU: Begins a three-game homestand on Sunday against Pittsburgh.
UNC: Goes down the road to play at No. 11 Duke on Sunday.
___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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