CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Lexi Donarski scored 19 points, including 17 in the third quarter, and North Carolina beat Oregon State 70-49 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Donarski also matched a season high with five 3-pointers, all coming during North Carolina’s dominant third quarter when it outscored Oregon State 30-9 in the period. Alyssa Ustby had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Maria Gakdeng added 13 points.
Kelsey Rees led Oregon State (19-16) with 15 points and 10 rebounds. AJ Marotte scored 13 points.
Next up for No. 3 seed North Carolina (28-7) is sixth-seeded West Virginia, a 78-59 winner over 11th-seeded Columbia, in the second round on Monday.
North Carolina jumped ahead 15-7, but Oregon State rallied to take a 20-17 lead on a Marotte 3 with 4:41 left in the second quarter. The Tar Heels jumped back in front 26-24 on a Reniya Kelly jumper late in the first half.
North Carolina opened the second half with 11 straight points, all by Donarski. The Tar Heels shot 11 for 17 from the field in the third, including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Takeaways
Oregon State: A No. 14 seed has never won an NCAA Tournament game on the women’s side. For a while, the Beavers looked poised to challenge history, but their inability to slow the hot-shooting Donarski was too much to overcome.
North Carolina: After a back-and-forth start, the Tar Heels put it all together in the second half.
Raising the bar
North Carolina’s 28 wins match the program’s best total since 2013.
Up next
North Carolina will play No. 6 West Virginia in the second round. The Tar Heels are seeking their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2022.