No. 12 North Carolina closed with a 23-14 fourth quarter to put away pesky Columbia 80-63 at the Cancun Challenge on Saturday in Cancun, Mexico.

Lanie Grant set the pace with 19 points, while Ciera Toomey was nearly perfect inside, scoring 18 on 8-for-9 shooting. Elina Aarnisalo added 15, and Indya Nivar stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals. Nyla Harris chipped in 10 off the bench as North Carolina (8-1) shot 57.6% from the field and 5 of 12 from deep.

Carolina's defense carried the day. The Tar Heels piled up 14 steals and forced 21 Columbia turnovers, turning pressure into separation after a tight first half that saw North Carolina take a slender 35-31 lead into the break.

Riley Weiss led Columbia (4-4) with a game-high 21 points while shooti

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