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03/06 20:40 CST Grant, Harris help No. 16 North Carolina women beat Virginia Tech in ACC quarterfinals Grant, Harris help No. 16 North Carolina women beat Virginia Tech in ACC quarterfinals DULUTH, Ga. (AP) --- 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. 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.

Up next North Carolina: Plays in the semifinals Saturday. Virginia Tech: Awaits a likely at-large NCAA Tournament berth. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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