CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Interstat) — Elina Aarnisalo scored 20 points and North Carolina used a dominant first half to build a commanding lead before holding off a persistent Virginia rally for an 82-70 victory in Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Tar Heels, who led by as many as 23 points, saw their advantage whittled down to just nine in the fourth quarter before steadying themselves to secure their third consecutive win and improve to 24-6 overall. Virginia fell to 19-9.

The most critical phase of the game was its outset, as North Carolina established immediate control with a stifling defensive performance. The Cavaliers were held without a field goal for the opening five minutes and 47 seconds, missing their first nine shot attempts while committing three turnovers. By the time Virginia’s Paris Clark connected on a 3-pointer at the 5:47 mark of the first quarter, the Tar Heels had already built a 9-0 lead.

That early drought set the tone for a lopsided first half. North Carolina’s defense continued to disrupt Virginia’s rhythm, forcing difficult shots and capitalizing on the other end. The Tar Heels closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run, capped by a Ciera Toomey 3-pointer just before the buzzer, to lead 15-8. The momentum carried into the second period, where a 13-2 Tar Heels run, fueled by two 3-pointers from Nyla Brooks and one from Aarnisalo, extended the margin to 33-13. North Carolina ultimately took a 40-23 advantage into halftime, having limited Virginia to 8-of-30 shooting from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

Virginia emerged from the break with renewed energy, spearheaded by Kymora Johnson and Romi Levy. The Cavaliers opened the third quarter on a 14-6 run, cutting the deficit to 46-37 after a Breona Hurd driving layup. Johnson, who led all scorers with 22 points, and Levy, who added 15, repeatedly attacked the basket to fuel the comeback attempt. A 3-pointer by Johnson with 1:35 left in the third brought Virginia within 60-52, the closest the margin had been since the first quarter.

The Cavaliers continued to chip away in the fourth, closing to within 66-57 on a Levy free throw with 4:03 remaining. However, Aarnisalo, the sophomore guard from Helsinki, Finland, delivered the decisive response. On the ensuing possession, she drained a crucial 3-pointer from the wing off an assist from Toomey to push the lead back to 12 and effectively halt Virginia’s final push. Aarnisalo added a pull-up jumper on North Carolina’s next trip down the floor to restore a 71-59 lead with 5:43 to play, and the Cavaliers would not threaten again.

Aarnisalo filled the stat sheet beyond her scoring, adding four assists and six defensive rebounds in 36 minutes. Lanie Grant provided crucial support with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and two blocks. Brooks came off the bench to score 11 points, all in the first half, while Toomey contributed 10 points, five assists and strong interior defense.

For Virginia, Johnson’s 22 points came with four assists, but she needed 22 shots to reach her total. Clark finished with nine points and five assists. The Cavaliers won the second half 47-42 but could never overcome their frigid start, finishing the game shooting 36.5 percent from the field. North Carolina shot 46.3 percent and connected on 10 3-pointers.

A crowd of 4,669 watched as North Carolina completed a regular-season sweep of Virginia, having won the first meeting 66-63 in overtime on Feb. 19. The Tar Heels will conclude their regular season at home against Duke on Sunday. Virginia will host Virginia Tech the same day.