UNC Women’s NCAA Tournament run ends with loss to UConn
Carolina hangs tough, but UConn is too much in the third quarter.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 27: Nyla Harris #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket against Sarah Strong #21 of the UConn Huskies during the third quarter in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Dickies Arena on March 27, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images To beat a team when you are a 29. 5 point underdog, you need to do everything right.
Shots have to go in, the defense has to be on point, your opponent needs to make a ton of mistakes, you need to hold onto the ball, and you need to rebound missed shots. The defense wasn’t a problem for the Tar Heels as they held UConn to their lowest first half point total of the season. Unfortunately nothing else really went right for Carolina as they couldn’t hit from outside, missed a ton of layups, and had 24 turnovers against the UConn Huskies.
UConn struggled in the beginning but used a 20-5 third quarter to win the Sweet Sixteen matchup going away, 63-42. For the Tar Heels, Indya Navar carried the team on her back in her final collegiate game. Navar scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and was able to get four blocks.
No one else for Carolina was able to approach double digits though, and a 4-22 performance from behind the arch and 17-60 overall would doom the Tar Heels to their season-ending in the Sweet Sixteen yet again. Sarah Strong was a beast for UConn, scoring 21 as the rest of the Huskies struggled at the start. Blanca Quinonez poured in 16 later, and the Huskies were able to tick their shooting percentage back up to over 40% for the game.