North Carolina Women’s Basketball Defeats Western Illinois in NCAA Tournament First Round
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 4 seed North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the No. 13 seed Western Illinois Leathernecks 82-51 in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Friday, March 20, 2026, at Carmichael Arena.
Game Highlights
Nyla Harris led the Tar Heels with 17 points, while Lanie Grant added 15. Nyla Brooks contributed 14 points, and Indya Nivar scored 11. North Carolina improved to 14-2 at home this season.
Mia Nicastro was the leading scorer for Western Illinois with 21 points. The Leathernecks struggled from the field, shooting 30.4% overall and just 2-for-15 from three-point range.
Key Stats
North Carolina dominated the game, building a 23-11 lead early on. The Tar Heels shot 43.5% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc, while also winning the rebounding battle 47-32.
Score Summary
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | TOT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 18 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 82 |
| Western Illinois | 10 | 14 | 9 | 18 | 51 |
North Carolina Player Stats
| Player | Pts | FG | 3FG | FT | REB | A | TO | Min | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRANT, LANIE | 15 | 5-13 | 4-10 | 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 11 |
| HARRIS, NYLA | 17 | 6-9 | 0-1 | 5-6 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 32 |
| AARNISALO, ELINA | 7 | 3-7 | 1-4 | 0-3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 27 |
| TOOMEY, CIERA | 5 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 33 |
| NIVAR, INDYA | 11 | 5-9 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 32 |
| ZUBICH, JORDAN | 0 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -1 |
| HENDERSON, TALIYAH | 2 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | -1 |
| HULL, LAILA | 9 | 3-9 | 3-9 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 17 |
| ASTAKHOVA, LIZA | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| BROOKS, NYLA | 14 | 5-14 | 2-9 | 2-3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 2 |
| BARKER, SYDNEY | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| QUEIROZ, TAISSA | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | -1 |
| THOMAS, BLANCA | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | -4 |
Western Illinois Player Stats
| Player | Pts | FG | 3FG | FT | REB | A | TO | Min | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEADOWS, ALLIE | 3 | 1-6 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 33 | -23 |
| SHETLEY, MALLORY | 7 | 2-9 | 0-0 | 3-6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 29 | -23 |
| BROWNFIELD, ADDI | 3 | 1-11 | 0-5 | 1-2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 27 | -20 |
| NICASTRO, MIA | 21 | 6-15 | 0-2 | 9-10 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 36 | -21 |
| REED, KAYLEN | 6 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 32 | -38 |
| DAVIS, MADISON | 2 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 23 | -4 |
| BOWMAN, SHELBY | 2 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -10 |
| HOLTHAUS, AINSLEY | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 |
| HERRIG, KENNEDY | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 |
| SKROBOT, SIDNEY | 3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -5 |
| EGGENA, KATELYN | 4 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | -1 |
Next Round
North Carolina will face fifth-seeded Maryland in the second round on Sunday.
Worth a look