North Carolina At Chapel Hill

ESTERO, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women’s basketball upset No. 18 North Carolina 65-64 Sunday in the Gulf Coast Showcase third-place game at Hertz Arena.

“I thought our team responded to a tough situation,” head coach Karl Smesko said. “I think it really helped that we got off to a good start. In the second quarter, we had a lot of foul trouble that threw us off our rhythm a little bit. It went back and forth in the second half, and we were just fortunate to make the last basket.”

The ranked win over the Tar Heels marked the seventh Top 25 win in program history. The Eagles have knocked off a ranked opponent for the third consecutive season and its first such win in the regular season since 2019.

The physical battle came down to the final seconds and the final shot. Down one, 64-63 and with 29 seconds remaining, FGCU inbounded the ball at midcourt.

As time wound down, Sofia Persson drove toward the lane and was cut off by the Tar Heel help-side defense – leaving Kierra Adams open in the paint. Persson dished the ball to Adams, who put up a shot off the glass and in to give FGCU a 65-64 lead with just 7.9 seconds remaining.

Carolina’s putback attempt at the buzzer was waved off to seal the upset victory for the Green & Blue.

FGCU switched up its starting five against the Tar Heels as both Cerina Rolle and Maca Retamales earned the starting nod from Coach Smesko.

The Eagles got the start they needed to believe the feat could be done. FGCU grabbed a 23-18 lead after one, but Carolina would take a slim 33-31 lead into the break.

Carolina dropped the first five points coming out of the third quarter to take a seven-point lead, 38-31. As the outcome of the game teetered on the Tar Heel run, Ajulu Thatha got hot from deep – draining two 3-pointers to bring the Eagles back to life.

A Dolly Cairns made three of her own, tied the contest at 42-all with 2:50 remaining in the third. FGCU took a 52-50 lead just 10 minutes away from the Promised Land.

With 4:20 minutes remaining, Cairns sank a transition three to tie the game once again, 61-61, to set up the final two thrilling possessions of play. The Har Heels missed two critical free throw attempts down the stretch, and the Eagles took full advantage of the opportunity.

Cairns led all Eagles in the win with 18 points, connecting on 4-for-7 from deep en route to being named to the Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament Team. Maddie Antenucci added 15, making her first three attempts from distance. Rolle provided eight points in her first start of the season.

FGCU will take its momentum into Wednesday as it hosts Ava Maria at Alico Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.