North Carolina Tar Heels @ Stanford Cardinal
Kelly sparks late rally to allow No. 15 North Carolina women to hold off Stanford for a 69-67 win
STANFORD, Calif. -- — Reniya Kelly scored half of her 10 points during a one-minute stretch late in the fourth quarter that allowed No. 15 North Carolina to hold off a late Stanford rally and earn their 20th win of the season, 69-67 on Sunday.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 15 points in the second half but the Cardinals rallied with a 14-3 run in the fourth quarter to tie the game 62-62 with less than four minutes left.
Grace Townsend hit from 3-point range to put North Carolina up by 12 points, 62-50, but Brooke Demetre scored at the basket to kickstart the Stanford run. Nunu Agara and Chloe Clardy each hit two free throws and Elena Bosgana drilled a 3-pointer from the wing to get the Cardinal within three but misfired on a layup. Kennedy Umeh gathered the loose ball and tipped it in while drawing a foul. Her free throw with 3:52 left tied the game.
Kelly wasted no time with the Tar Heels' answer, drilling a jumper just seven seconds later and followed that with a 3. Lexi Donarski added a layup to take a seven-point lead. Agara turned a three-point play and her layup with :37 left made it 69-67, but missed a jumper to tie with three seconds left.
North Carolina (20-4, 8-3) and Stanford (11-10, 3-7), now Atlantic Coast Conference rivals, played for just the second time in the regular season. The Tar Heels reached the 20-win plateau for the 30th time in program history.
North Carolina plays at Clemson Sunday. Stanford plays at No. 3 Notre Dame on Thursday.
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Game Information
Stanford, CA

Referee:Chuck Gonzalez
Referee:Talisa Green
Referee:Katie Lukanich

2025-26 Standings
| Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 10-0 | - | 20-3 |
| Duke | 10-0 | - | 15-6 |
| NC State | 8-2 | 2 | 15-6 |
| Syracuse | 7-3 | 3 | 17-4 |
| Virginia Tech | 7-3 | 3 | 17-5 |
| Virginia | 7-3 | 3 | 15-6 |
| North Carolina | 6-3 | 3.5 | 17-5 |
| Clemson | 6-4 | 4 | 15-7 |
| Notre Dame | 5-5 | 5 | 13-8 |
| Stanford | 4-5 | 5.5 | 15-7 |
| California | 4-5 | 5.5 | 13-9 |
| Miami | 4-6 | 6 | 12-9 |
| Georgia Tech | 4-6 | 6 | 9-13 |
| Florida State | 2-7 | 7.5 | 7-14 |
| Wake Forest | 2-8 | 8 | 12-10 |
| SMU | 1-9 | 9 | 8-14 |
| Pittsburgh | 1-9 | 9 | 8-15 |
| Boston College | 0-10 | 10 | 4-19 |
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