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#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and center Ciera Toomey after loss at Duke
Feb 15, 2026
#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and center Ciera Toomey after loss at Duke
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0:00
What a great environment for women's
0:01
basketball. You know, I heard a lot of
0:03
loud tar here Tarhill chants. Certainly
0:05
grateful for folks taking the drive down
0:08
uh to support a good team. Um a team
0:10
that's a whole lot better, more
0:11
resilient, more connected, more
0:12
disciplined, more all the things. More
0:14
battle tested than we were November,
0:16
December, January. Just getting better
0:17
and better with this young group. Um you
0:19
know, obviously when you outrebound and
0:21
you you know, the basically the
0:22
three-point line and the turnover line's
0:25
about the same. There's there's one
0:26
category that's not the same. You guys
0:27
know as well as I do. Please don't don't
0:29
get me fined. Um, but that's that's the
0:31
difference in the game.
0:34
How do you process going through a whole
0:36
game without taking a free throw?
0:37
I have no choice but to process it, you
0:39
know. I I had no choice. I I know Laney
0:42
landed on her ass when she took a free
0:44
throw when she took a three-point shot.
0:45
I know Sierra will probably be out
0:47
tomorrow. She's been beaten up, you
0:49
know. But I don't know. I mean, I'm
0:50
forced to. It's not a whole lot I I have
0:52
to process. It's that's what the I don't
0:55
think I've been doing this for a long
0:56
time. I mean, I've been doing it so
0:58
long, it's almost embarrassing. And I
1:00
just I've just never seen it. So, I'm
1:02
It's fascinating. You guys got to see a
1:04
a treasure, as they say.
1:07
Ricky, you talked about this team.
1:09
You talked about this team being battle
1:11
tested and being able to kind of fight
1:12
back. How were you all able to kind of
1:14
channel that momentum and kind of keep
1:15
just kind of roaring back throughout
1:17
this game?
1:17
Yeah, I mean, two really good teams, a
1:19
heavyweight battle, right? I think you
1:20
probably are looking at a few
1:21
possessions uh that can go either way.
1:23
Um, and they went in their favor, right?
1:25
Um, so, you know, I don't think there's
1:28
I don't think there's a ton of I don't
1:29
think there's a ton of things that
1:30
either coach is going to uh be able to
1:32
say that that was that just was flat out
1:34
not good enough. You know, they went on
1:36
a run, we went on a run, you know, look
1:37
at again look at the the statistics kind
1:39
of also tell a part of the game. Um, you
1:42
know, so there's again one one category
1:44
it's hard to make up for given there's
1:46
so many uh to do that. But, you know,
1:48
you hope when you schedule a tough
1:49
schedule uh both in terms of the power
1:51
fours, I think we've played three of the
1:52
top four teams in the country. Um but
1:54
also a lot of the mid- mid majors and
1:56
and and other power fors Kansas State et
1:58
of the worlds. You hope that helps you
1:59
just like their schedule. These are two
2:00
teams that schedule well. Uh and you
2:02
hope it helps you. Um but these guys,
2:03
yeah, I think we're you know with the
2:05
exception of India and um Laney and of
2:08
course Nyla wasn't on my team last year.
2:10
Those two are the only kids who played
2:11
in this game last year, right? And only
2:13
meaningful minutes. And um not only
2:14
because it's Duke Carolina, but it's two
2:16
heavyweights, you know, two arguably top
2:18
10, top 15 teams in the country. So, you
2:20
know, we got a lot of youth out there.
2:21
Um, I know she's thrilled and I'll be
2:23
thrilled when I have a really
2:25
experienced back court, right? Um, but
2:26
that will take some time. Um, and so
2:28
yeah, we just it makes a November feels
2:30
like months ago, which it was,
2:32
you know, it just we're better because
2:34
we've been doing it so much more.
2:35
Sierra, you guys, um, I mean, you had 14
2:38
points today and, you know, I know coach
2:39
said you got beat up a little bit, but
2:41
you guys did score 46 points in the
2:42
paint. What was working so well down
2:45
there for you? Um, I think our our
2:47
guards did a really good job of drawing
2:49
the defender and then dump off passes. I
2:51
mean, you saw me get to them, but you
2:52
also saw Tissa, um, Nyla Harris. Um, so
2:56
our guards did a really good job of
2:57
attacking and dumping off and then we
2:59
were just we were finishing and we knew
3:00
that they were going to be big. We knew
3:02
they were shot blockers. So, we just
3:03
were really diligent about how we were
3:05
finishing and how we were getting those
3:06
shots and I think it paid off.
3:09
Courtney, was it the intent to go
3:10
inside? because it seems like you were
3:12
intentional about going inside and
3:14
feeling that that was your best path for
3:16
victory.
3:17
Well, I think when they're going to
3:18
guard the perimeter the way they are,
3:19
they're giving you 1 v one and they're
3:20
trusting their bigs to guard that,
3:21
right? Um and so yeah, we we like any of
3:24
our bigs um to be able I mean 46 points
3:26
in the paint is twice as many as they
3:28
had, right? With no free throw attempts,
3:30
right? So we obviously we're taking it
3:31
to them both off the drive and off the
3:33
pass. Um and I think our posts are, you
3:35
know, we think they're a strength of our
3:36
team. Um, and other teams are going to
3:38
play us differently and they're going to
3:39
really try to to try to take away the
3:41
post with double teams and things like
3:42
that, in which case we'll let our guards
3:44
play go.
3:45
Courtney, that um that run in the second
3:48
half that Duke went on. What kind of
3:50
went wrong there? How tough were you
3:51
guys to overcome that?
3:52
Offensive rebounds from the free throw
3:53
line and transition D. You know, we got
3:55
some young guys in that that we didn't
3:57
we had three three possessions in that
3:59
eight possession run where we didn't
4:00
have a safety. The safety was more
4:01
concerned to get out to perimeter play.
4:03
So, their bigs just got a free highway.
4:04
Um, and then we gave up three offensive
4:06
rebounds in one possession off a free
4:07
throw. I don't know. She stepped in the
4:08
free throw line for some dumb reason.
4:09
Like, we can't do that. Um, to give him
4:12
another free throw, which she misses and
4:13
gets to go board. I mean, um, so just
4:16
kind of put those things together.
4:19
Laney came out with about five and a
4:21
half minutes left. You come back in six
4:23
seconds for what? What was it from
4:25
there?
4:25
She played 32 minutes. We don't have to
4:26
discuss how many minutes she's playing.
4:28
It's a lot of minutes. bit but down the
4:30
stretch you not having Lady Gray in the
4:32
game seemed
4:34
that was fine. Nyl Brook Brooks did a
4:35
great job.
4:36
Just um just Oh yeah, sorry. Um
4:39
obviously Toby did her thing in terms of
4:42
you know rebounding I think but her
4:45
scoring. Just what do you think was the
4:47
key for you guys with that?
4:48
Yeah, I mean I think our bigs did a
4:50
really good job. I mean we've got a lot
4:51
of bigs and we you know we we played uh
4:53
we played her. We chested the ball well,
4:55
made her force tough shots. I mean, they
4:57
she gets a lot of hers because of their
4:58
rollers. You know, they do a lot of ball
5:00
screen roll. They're number one in the
5:01
country playing out of the role. Um, so
5:02
if you can take that part of their game
5:04
away, they got to go to the next thing,
5:05
right? Um, and so our post did a good
5:07
job taking that part of the way, which
5:08
means she had to then finish with a back
5:10
ball with a with a body behind her. She
5:12
doesn't have to finish a lot of those uh
5:14
throughout the course of the year. So,
5:15
um, yeah, I thought our guys forced her
5:17
to play one v one. Uh, and that was to
5:19
our advantage.
5:20
Coach Talia had one of her best
5:22
performances the other night. what kind
5:23
of factored into why she didn't play all
5:25
night and kind of the rotation you went
5:27
with?
5:27
Yeah, I mean obviously this is a game
5:29
where there's a whole lot of actions
5:30
that are happening and there's you know
5:31
young guys there's a lot of things they
5:32
haven't really necessarily seen. I mean
5:34
SMU is a very different very different
5:37
um quality of opponent, right? And so uh
5:40
in those games the margin of error is
5:41
very high. You can kind of screw up and
5:43
get it right back because you're a good
5:44
athlete or because they can't do much
5:45
with it after that. Um and so you know
5:48
as these games are um this is kind of a
5:50
grown woman game that she's continuing
5:52
to learn. you know, she's going to be
5:53
really good here. It's part of the
5:54
process that, you know, they all go
5:56
through. Sierra's been to this gym and
5:57
didn't play at all, right? But she had
5:58
to get better, stronger, faster, see
6:00
more things so that she can be more
6:01
reactive. Um, and so we'll continue to
6:03
grow to accordingly.
6:05
What can you guys take from a fight like
6:07
this as you hero see Duke again, but
6:09
also as you just entered the the closing
6:11
stretch of conference play,
6:13
there's a lot of good teams. I mean,
6:14
next up, we've got to deal with Virginia
6:16
Tech on the road and then we've got to
6:17
pit a team at home. I mean, it's just
6:18
you just keep going, right? It's just
6:20
there's like uh you just try to take one
6:21
week at a time and sweep the week. Um
6:23
you know, this is um one of the premier
6:25
teams in our league. So are we. So we
6:27
sort of expected this. It's why it was a
6:28
sellout, you know. Um you know, I don't
6:31
think if they were playing uh whoever
6:33
someone else on the calendar might not
6:34
sell out quite as often, right? That's
6:36
what you get. That's what you love. So
6:37
um you know, you just we when you come
6:40
and you don't win, you've got to
6:41
continue to get better. And when you
6:42
come and you win, you got to continue to
6:43
get better. So, this is just um we've
6:45
got another month we hope of our season
6:47
and we just got to keep getting better.
6:49
Sierra, those um the run for y'all's in
6:53
the first quarter, but also or the first
6:54
half, but also the second half there.
6:56
What kind of triggered those for you?
6:57
How were y'all able to kind of chip into
6:59
the deficit, especially at the end
7:00
there?
7:02
I think our quality of shots were just a
7:03
lot better. Um I mean, from the big
7:05
position, we were running in transition,
7:07
which opens up a lot for the guards. Um
7:09
we were hitting shots obviously, which
7:11
is really nice. Um, we were just doing
7:13
we're executing the things that we do in
7:14
practice and that seems to be a trend in
7:16
all of our games when we play how we
7:18
practice things go well. Um, and in both
7:20
those moments it just felt like everyone
7:22
was comfortable, everyone was getting
7:23
each other open and everyone was
7:24
finishing.
7:26
Yeah.
7:27
I guess just and again not trying to get
7:29
you fine but obviously um you have a
7:31
certain category there in the box that
7:34
probably not happy with.
7:35
Um, what is the process for you I don't
7:38
know in the coming days of maybe try to
7:41
speak to folks about that like I know on
7:43
the football side obviously we can sort
7:45
of like complain and like flax certain
7:48
Yeah. Yeah. We we have the same I don't
7:50
know if it's if the response time is is
7:52
helpful. It might help the next team
7:53
that plays D quite honestly right. Um
7:56
but yeah I mean I I just Matt my radio
8:00
guy will be really good. He's really
8:01
good at the numbers. I'm I'm fascinated
8:03
if there's been any game had a high
8:05
level college basketball that had 46
8:06
paint points and no free throws. I just
8:08
I'll be fascinated. And if it wasn't, we
8:10
got to be a part of something new, which
8:11
is hard to do. So, um, yeah, I I I don't
8:15
know. I I thought we I thought we were,
8:17
again, if you don't take it any pain
8:18
points, it means you're not attacking
8:19
the paint, then it's sort of like, well,
8:21
is it you or is it, you know, I thought
8:24
the aggressiveness starts with kind of
8:25
starts with with pain points. That's
8:26
that's how you show how you because
8:28
that's the that's that's boardwalk in
8:29
our sport. You want to protect that as
8:30
best you can. I thought we did a good
8:32
job attacking it. So, I don't know.
8:34
Sierra, did did you and Na Harris have
8:37
to kind of make an adjustment with you?
8:38
saw that you're going inside all the
8:40
time and not drawing any calls. And what
8:42
were the frustrations in that area as
8:45
the game went on?
8:47
I mean, for me personally, I feel like a
8:49
lot of mine came off the dump off passes
8:51
that were uncontested, but I know Nyla
8:53
had a lot of tough finishes. Um, and I'm
8:55
sure that she would argue she got, you
8:57
know, she could have gone to the free
8:58
throw line a couple couple times in
9:00
those. Um, but I mean, that's any game.
9:02
You got to go with the flow of how
9:03
things are being called and you got to
9:04
adjust to that. So on a night like
9:06
tonight where we know maybe we're not
9:07
getting the calls that we usually would,
9:08
you definitely have to take that into
9:09
consideration.
9:11
Coron, do you think when when uh India
9:14
kind of spiked the ball and hit the
9:15
technical foul that was just kind of a
9:17
boiling point and
9:19
maybe I mean I mean she she she spiked
9:23
the ball and went like 12 feet. I mean a
9:27
technical foul for that in this type of
9:28
environment feels a little aggressive,
9:30
but I whatever. Um you know it's I I'm
9:33
sure she was frustrated. I know we kept
9:36
saying, "Hey, keep going inside. The
9:38
math will math as long as you're you
9:39
know, you're going through hips, you're
9:40
going through chests." So, I'm sure she
9:42
was tired of hearing me say that and
9:43
have it not um you know, there's a lot
9:45
of a lot of hands. So, it's hard for
9:47
perimeter players. So, probably, but
9:48
you'll have to ask her. I I don't know.
9:50
I didn't ask her about it.
9:52
Just really quick, um the third quarter,
9:55
they're obviously really great for you
9:56
guys. I think you ended it making like
9:58
nine of the last nine field goal
10:00
attempts there. Um, just what do you
10:02
think was going so well for your team Y
10:04
there just to kind of cut into close
10:06
that?
10:06
Yeah, I think Tissa's ability to kind of
10:08
keep the ball moving on the perimeter,
10:10
opened up a lot of driving lanes. We
10:11
made quick decisions out of those. Um,
10:14
we, you know, they kind of went between
10:16
hedging and not hingging ball screens. I
10:18
thought our kids really read that well
10:19
and then attacked accordingly. Um, got
10:21
some in transition as well, obviously
10:23
with the rim runs. Um, so securing the
10:25
rebound helped with that. Um, you know,
10:27
it's just they went on a run in the
10:29
first half. We went on like that's just
10:30
basketball. It wasn't that you know, I'd
10:32
love to say I was orchestrating uh like
10:34
a mad like a mad scientist, but you
10:35
know, it's just uh it's two good teams
10:37
that, you know, have a lot of good
10:39
players. There's our super experience.
10:40
So, you've got one more thing to kind of
10:41
get through. I thought our kids did a
10:43
good job of that.
10:47
Any other questions for coach or Sierra?
10:50
What about the the the way this game
10:52
went? There's been a lot of rock fights
10:54
between you guys. I told you we were
10:55
going to score
10:56
players, but this this seemed a little
10:58
bit different.
10:59
Yeah, I told you we were all going to
11:00
score more. Um, you know, she's got a
11:02
lot of actions, so it's hard for young
11:04
guys to really come in and help right
11:05
away because you have to know all of the
11:07
actions, right? Um, and so they're
11:09
really experienced. You know, this
11:10
group's played a lot of minutes
11:11
together. And then, of course, our guys,
11:13
you know, they have been going through
11:15
now. They're a lot older than they were.
11:16
Um, and we've got we're just built
11:17
differently. We've got more offensive
11:18
weapons than we've had in the past um in
11:20
different ways. And so, I mean, how cool
11:22
though as I think about, you know,
11:23
Alyssa having been so many meaningful
11:26
Duke Carolina games. You know, her
11:27
parents were there in the stands. I
11:28
mean, it's just such a cool uh thing
11:30
about how many people uh love this team
11:32
and this program long after they've
11:34
played or even short after they've
11:35
played. But, um, but yeah, this is just
11:38
kind of I guess what you come to expect,
11:40
but I told you we were going to score
11:40
more points. Both sides were I think
11:42
both both defenses were still solid, but
11:44
it's just there's more offense to be had
11:45
from these two teams than had in the
11:47
past
11:47
after having done it last year. Um, is
11:50
you know the top 16 reveal came out last
11:53
night. Is is hosting still something
11:54
that you guys feel like you can
11:56
realistically shoot for?
11:57
Yeah, I mean I think our our young guys
11:58
don't I'm not sure they know they I
12:00
don't even know what that they know what
12:01
that means. So I don't really talk about
12:02
it with them. Um, you know, I think what
12:04
you always hope is that the committee
12:05
looks at the body of work uh and looks
12:07
at uh the improvement of your team and
12:10
how you're playing um and then seeds
12:12
them people accordingly because the
12:14
seating really does matter. Um, and so
12:16
we have to we still got a lot of ACC
12:18
basketball to play at the AC tournament.
12:20
Um, and so I would have the same answer
12:22
had this had those few possessions gone
12:24
a different way today. You know, it's a
12:26
little too early to tell. We hadn't done
12:27
enough work ahead of this point to have
12:29
ourselves secure there. So we're sort of
12:31
like last year sort of teetering and we
12:32
just got to continue to play well and
12:34
get better to better each week.
12:35
Courtney down eight at half. What was
12:38
kind of the message?
12:41
How they got down eight, right? I mean
12:43
it was like I said those free throws you
12:45
know three offensive rebounds on a free
12:46
throw and that's three of their only 14.
12:49
So we handled that would have been much
12:50
better. Um you know uh two run uh three
12:53
uh transition errors in terms of what
12:55
our safety was doing. So we just showed
12:56
it to them and said this is how we got
12:58
there. Um you know it's sort of you just
13:00
kind of have to understand so you can
13:02
then act accordingly. Um so those were
13:04
those weren't defense those weren't you
13:06
know hey this was different than what we
13:08
thought they were going to do. Those
13:09
were we didn't choose to do that right.
13:11
Um and they adjusted as as expected
13:13
quite well in the second half.
13:15
Just want to see if there's any update
13:16
on Raya and also how you thought uh
13:18
Elena handled today.
13:20
Yeah, you know, obviously when you look
13:22
at the stats, it doesn't look like she
13:23
handled it well, but we felt like she
13:24
handled it well. Um in terms of how she,
13:27
you know, she get five assists and you
13:29
know, the plus minus is being about what
13:31
you want. Um if you have to be in the
13:32
negative, you don't want to be far, you
13:34
know. Um you know, Ray's is is week to
13:37
week. you know, we we're getting kind of
13:39
up to the minute data as well as as as
13:41
we're giving it when we get it, we give
13:43
it. Um, you know, and so we're we're
13:46
hopeful that she'll be back soon and um
13:48
that will help us, although this is
13:49
really valuable, of course, for E and
13:50
and we trust her a ton and all these
13:52
game pressure minutes is helpful for the
13:54
whole roster. So, everyone who played
13:55
today got a little bit better.
13:59
Can you just speak on the toughness of
14:01
um Taisa?
14:02
Yeah. and the versatility I would say,
14:05
you know, she's gotten she's the kid
14:06
that came early. So, she came uh in
14:08
January last year and kind of started
14:10
early with us and didn't start her
14:12
athletic clock until the fall, but you
14:13
know, she right away hit the weight room
14:15
um and then right away hit her skill
14:17
skill work. She felt that would be a
14:18
better use of her time than finishing
14:19
her high school season. Um and it's
14:21
really paid off. You know, she's got
14:22
incredible versatility, but she's strong
14:24
enough to handle the the physicality of
14:26
the game at a young age. Um, and so she
14:29
spent six she spent six months or I
14:31
guess it was only four months at that
14:32
time learning by seeing scouts and
14:34
watching um, and playing as the practice
14:36
guys and getting extra workouts and
14:37
things like that. So um, her versatility
14:40
is so different than some of our bigs
14:41
have. Um, I think Sierra will take a
14:44
jump in the summer about being a little
14:45
bit more versatile um, as well. Um, and
14:48
that's obviously what's hardest to guard
14:49
at this level is if you can have you can
14:51
do multiple things well because if you
14:52
don't, you better be really elite at the
14:54
one thing you do. Um, and so I think
14:56
what makes uh Tissa so helpful is her
14:58
versatility added to her physicality.
15:04
Thanks, guys. Yeah.
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