UNC closes Wake Forest, 80-73

CHAPEL HILL, NC – It’s been tough work for North Carolina against Wake Forest for much longer than it should have been on Wednesday night, but it’s UNC basketball in 2020-21. The Tar Heels moved away from the hapless Demon Deacons late to claim an 80-73 win and secure their fourth win in five games.

The UNC stumbled in the first half of the game before establishing their attacking pace at half-time. The Tar Heels converted 11 of 17 field goal attempts over a 12-minute, 30-second span spanning halftime to turn a five-point deficit into a 45-35 lead. The Demon Deacons, lacking in talent but not tenacity, responded with an 18-8 run to tie the game at 53-53 with 10:12 to go.

UNC came out strong once again, making seven of their last 10 field goal attempts to claim their 12th win in 14 tries against rival Tobacco Road.

Caleb Love scored a career-high 20 points on 7 of 12 shots to lead the Tar Heels, while Armando Bacot had 18 points on 8 of 10 shots. RJ Davis scored 13 points and Garrison Brooks added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Despite shooting below 40% for the sixth time in nine halves in the first half, UNC shot 54.8% after halftime to finish 46.8% for the game. Wake Forest shot 39.0 percent from the ground and 38.2 percent from the 3-point range (13 of 34).

UNC overtook their opponents, 38-36, although the visiting team held an 18-9 advantage on second chance points.

Turnover works in favor of UNC
The Tar Heels are 14 games into the season and still have a negative assist-to-spin ratio, but that differential is slowly evaporating. The UNC distributed 18 assists against 12 turnovers on Wednesday, marking the fourth time in five games the ratio has been favorable.

By limiting mistakes while forcing them to defend, the Tar Heels were able to create a 24-15 advantage in rolling points.

Rating stat
UNC has now played seven straight ACC games decided by seven points or less for the first time in program history.

Harris Impact
After making his Florida State debut on Saturday, Anthony Harris played fewer minutes with less impact against Wake Forest. The red-shirted first-year goaltender missed his only field goal and added a rebound and assist in six minutes of action.

Harris had a plus / minus-8 after delivering plus / minus plus-10 or better contributions in his previous four games.

First 25
The first 25 holdings of the UNC were not for the faint of heart. The Tar Heels scored on eight possessions, averaging 0.6 points per possession, while notching as many turnovers as they made baskets (6). Despite missing as many layups (2-6) as they missed 3 points (0-4), UNC trailed just 18-15 due to six points on seven Wake Forest turnovers.

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UNC will complete their first homestand of the season when NC State arrives for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday (ESPN). The Wolfpack have lost three straight games after opening the season with six wins in their first seven games, including a 79-76 victory over the Tar Heels on December 22.