The fourth and final game of the 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals featured a matchup between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Tech Hokies. North Carolina entered as the No. 3 seed after receiving a second round bye, while Virginia Tech arrived with momentum following a 62–54 win over Georgia Tech. The two programs last met on February 19, when the Tar Heels edged the Hokies 66–63 in overtime.
The opening quarter showed two very different offensive approaches. Virginia Tech jumped out early behind Carleigh Wenzel, who scored six of the Hokies’ first quarter points. The rest of the scoring was spread across several players who each added a basket.
North Carolina, meanwhile, leaned heavily on Lanie Grant. Grant scored eight of the Tar Heels’ 11 points in the opening frame as both teams struggled to find their rhythm offensively. North Carolina shot 6 for 19 from the field while Virginia Tech went 4 for 15. The Hokies grabbed the lead at the 4:04 mark and closed the quarter on an 8–0 run.
The game shifted dramatically in the second quarter.
North Carolina found its offensive rhythm and controlled the period, outscoring Virginia Tech 29–11. Elina Aarnisalo sparked the surge with 10 points in the quarter, helping the Tar Heels flip the momentum completely. After shooting just 26.7 percent in the first quarter, North Carolina improved to 56 percent in the second.
Virginia Tech, on the other hand, struggled to generate consistent offense. The Hokies shot just 20 percent from the field in the quarter and missed all 10 of their three point attempts.
North Carolina carried that momentum into the third quarter. Ciera Toomey extended the Tar Heels’ lead to 18 when she scored at the 9:10 mark. Grant continued to lead all scorers and finished the quarter with 16 points after adding six more during the period.
Virginia Tech attempted to climb back into the game with a run that cut the deficit to nine, but Grant answered with a three point play that pushed North Carolina’s advantage back to 12 at 56–44.
In the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels shut down any hopes of a Hokies comeback. Virginia Tech briefly trimmed the deficit to 70–60, but Nyla Harris responded with back to back layups to extend the lead back to 14 with 5:22 remaining.
Indya Nivar added another key basket with 1:42 left, pushing the lead to 18. Aarnisalo later stretched the advantage to 20 and finished the night with 18 points as North Carolina secured the 84–68 win.
With the victory, the Tar Heels advance to face Louisville in the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinals tomorrow at 2:30 PM EDT.
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