UNC remained difficult on their home court on Saturday, defeating Virginia Tech 96-81. The Heels got the Hokies into a lot of foul trouble early on and dominated in the paint to win.
Armando Bacot’s strong second-half performance contributed significantly to those paint points. Bacot ended the game with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and one turnover, with 19 of his points coming after halftime. RJ Davis ended with 20 points and five assists, including three three-pointers. Cormac Ryan’s four made baskets were all from long distance, and he was a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. Harrison Ingram recorded a double-double before halftime, finished with the most rebounds on the team (17), and scored 12 points
The Hokies made six three-pointers in the first half, but only one after the break. They made up for it inside the arc, but Carolina’s 50-39 halftime deficit proved too much to overcome, as they shot 57% from the floor in the second half. Tyler Nickel, a former Tar Heel, scored 14 points and nailed four three-pointers, as expected.
Despite the fact that UNC turned it over nine times, Virginia Tech made them pay with 20 points off giveaways. These points were largely responsible for UNC’s inability to pull away and the game’s close outcome. Even though the defense wasn’t very impressive, the offense was able to seize control and be the driving factor behind the victory.
After a difficult string of games, UNC finally gets a respite this week, with no games until next Saturday, when they travel to Charlottesville for a challenging match against (now #21) Virginia.
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