NASSAU, Bahamas (WNCN) – It was fun under the sun this week for the North Carolina Tar Heels women’s basketball team, which culminated with a dominating 69-39 victory over Indiana to take home the Battle 4 Atlantis championship on Monday afternoon.
The 16th-ranked Tar Heels (6-1) took the lead in the second quarter before extending their lead after halftime, outscoring the Hoosiers 22-7 in the third quarter and 15-6 in the fourth.
UNC was firing on all cylinders from behind the three-point line, draining a season-high 11 shots from downtown.
Junior guard led the way for the Tar Heels with 15 points and five rebounds, while preseason All-ACC honoree Alyssa Ustby complied nine points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Trayanna Crisp came off the bench to hit five three-pointers and score 15 points of her own.
Crisp, a junior transfer from Arizona State, had 12 points in the first half as the Tar Heels eased out to a 32-26 lead.
In the third quarter, North Carolina made 8 of 16 shots, three from behind the arc, while outrebounding Indiana 12-3 and forcing six turnovers.
The Tar Heels scored the first seven points in the second half and had two more 6-0 runs for a 54-33 lead. With a three-pointer from Crisp to close the third quarter and the first nine points of the fourth quarter, the lead ballooned to 63-33.
Yarden Garzon had 10 points to lead the Hoosiers (4-3), who started the season ranked. Indiana topped No. 24 Stanford before heading to the tournament and beat No. 18 Baylor in Sunday’s semifinals.
Indiana shot 29% for the game, going 4 of 26 from the three-point line. In the second half, the Hoosiers were 21% with a 0-for-13 performance from the arc. The Hoosiers were outrebounded 47-31.
This win marks the Tar Heels’ second holiday tournament title in three years.
UNC will now fly home to play host to North Carolina Central at Carmichael Arena on Friday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.