DULUTH, Ga. – Lanie Grant scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Nyla Harris had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded and No. 16 North Carolina beat No. 6 seed Virginia Tech 85-68 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday night.
North Carolina (26-6) plays No. 12 and second-seeded Louisville in the semifinals Saturday.
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Grant hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and Harris made 8 of 11 from the field. Elina Aarnisalo totaled 18 points, six assists and five rebounds for UNC, and Nyla Brooks added 10 points.
Harris made a layup that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good and sparked an 11-2 run that made it 30-22 with 4:33 left in the second quarter. Aarnisalo hit a 3-pointer and added two free throws as UNC scored eight of the final nine first-half points to take a 13-point lead into the intermission.
Carleigh Wenzel made 14 of 15 from the free-throw line and finished with 26 points for Virginia Tech (23-9) but was 6-of-17 shooting, 0 of 6 from 3-point range.
Wenzel scored six consecutive points to cut the Hokies’ deficit to nine points with 3:34 left in the third quarter, but Grant answered 12 seconds later with a three-point play and North Carolina led by double figures the rest of the way.
The Mountaineers missed their first 10 3-point shots and finished 2 of 18 from behind the arc.
North Carolina: Plays in the semifinals Saturday.
Virginia Tech: Awaits a likely at-large NCAA Tournament berth.