Despite trailing by 16 points late in the first half, UNC rallied to earn a critical ACC win and upset No. 14 Virginia 85-80 in Charlottesville Saturday afternoon. It is Virginia’s first loss at home this season and just its second in ACC play.
Five Tar Heels finished in double figures on the day, led by Caleb Wilson’s 20 points. It was Wilson’s 14th 20-point game of the season, tying Tyler Hansbrough’s program record for a freshman. Seth Trimble (16), Luka Bogavac (14) and Derek Dixon (11) all joined Wilson in double figures, as did Jarin Stevenson with 17. All of Stevenson’s points came in the second half, including a three-pointer to give UNC a seven-point lead at 81-74 with 1:38 to go. It was the highest scoring game of the season for the Alabama transfer.
UNC’s win came despite center Henri Veesaar posting his poorest game of the season. Veesaar was limited to just seven points and one rebound, both season lows. Overall, the Cavaliers flexed their muscles on the glass with a 44-28 rebounding advantage, including a 17-7 edge in second-chance points. But Carolina did damage of its own off the bench (31 points to Virginia’s 24) and on the fast break (21 points to Virginia’s 10). The Tar Heels also capitalized on 11 Virginia turnovers, turning them into 19 points. On the other side, UNC turned the ball over a season-low four times, which led to just two Cavalier points.
Luka Bogavac scored 14 points at Virginia Saturday. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Chance Bragg)
Virginia had seemingly established control early on, using a 10-0 run to take a 10-2 lead inside four minutes. UNC would tie the game at 14-14 thanks to consecutive baskets from Wilson, but the Cavaliers again stretched the lead out with a 7-0 run to take a 28-17 lead midway through the half. That advantage ballooned to 43-27 with 2:05 remaining, but Carolina found a lifeline before halftime after Bogavac and Dixon each hit threes in the final minute, cutting the deficit to 43-34.
The Tar Heels continued to rally early in the second half cutting the lead down to one point at 56-55 and then finally taking the lead with six consecutive points from Stevenson. UNC led 67-62 with 9:43 remaining, but Virginia seized the advantage back with a 9-0 run, nosing in front 71-67 with 5:25 on the clock. A Stevenson three cut the deficit to one point, and a layup plus the foul from Stevenson at the 2:51 mark gave the Tar Heels the lead for good. Virginia looked to rally one final time by cutting the lead to 81-79 with 49 seconds to go, but a Wilson basket restored a two-possession lead for Carolina. Virginia wouldn’t make another field goal for the rest of the afternoon.
UNC’s three-point defense, which had allowed the last five opponents to shoot nearly 47 percent from behind the line, limited the Cavaliers to just 8-27 (29.6 percent) on threes Saturday. Virginia entered the day as the second-best three-point shooting team in the ACC.
Saturday’s win is the fourth Quad 1 victory for UNC this season and its first since defeating Ohio State in Atlanta on Dec. 20. Carolina is now 16-4 overall and 4-3 in ACC play, and the Tar Heels will be back in action when they visit Georgia Tech in Atlanta next Saturday at 2 p.m.
Featured image via Associated Press/Robert Simmons
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