UNC struggles early against Elon, but pulls away in the second half for win
North Carolina’s game against Elon on Wednesday night was supposed to be a breeze.
The fifth-ranked Tar Heels entered as 31-point favorites. But in the first half, the Phoenix gave the Tar Heels all they could handle, and even led at halftime 33-32.
Eventually, the Tar Heels played better defense and got easier shots in the second half. That helped the Tar Heels build an early second-half lead on the way to a 75-61 victory.
UNC freshman forward Armando Bacot led all scorers with a career-high 22 points. He also had 14 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. Junior forward Garrison Brooks had 14 points. And freshman guard Cole Anthony finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.
UNC is 4-0. However, the Tar Heels have many issues they need to work out before they head to the Bahamas next week in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.
There, No. 5 UNC will face Alabama, and potentially Iowa State, Michigan, No. 13 Seton Hall, No. 11 Oregon, or No. 8 Gonzaga.
“I told them the big leagues are starting right now,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “We were more gifted more blessed than Elon was. They’re guys outplayed us, outcoached us in the first half.
“But this stuff starts now, that every game, if we play poorly, we’re going to lose.”
UNC senior guard Brandon Robinson, who is recovering from an ankle sprain, dressed out for the second game in a row but did not play.
Anthony, who had been spectacular through the first three games, had probably his worst performance of the season. It was the first time all season he finished with less than 20 points in a game.
He was 4 of 14 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Not only did he struggle with his shot, but he also had four turnovers, one where he over-dribbled.
When asked what Elon did defensively to contain him, Anthony said, “nothing.”
“I guarded myself that game,” he said. “The shots that I take and usually make weren’t going in, so I’d say I guarded myself.”
Personal foul
Elon entered Wednesday night’s game with the worst 3-point shooting percentage in the country at 14 percent. Against Georgia Tech last week, Elon finished 3-for-30 from behind the 3-point line.
However, the Phoenix made their first four 3-pointers and started the game 5-for-5 from the floor. Their hot start game gave them a 14-7 lead after a little more than three minutes.
The Tar Heels did not take their first lead until 5:04 left in the first half.
“The ball was stagnant. They were in their zone. We weren’t moving the ball very well,” Anthony said. “We weren’t getting any stops, so their zone was able to stop us.”
And one
After playing their worst half of the season, the Tar Heels opened the second half on a 17-2 run to take a 14-point lead with 14 minutes left to play. They did it by playing better defense and forcing Elon into tougher shots.
Bacot, a 6-10, 232-pound freshman, was responsible for eight of those 17 points during the run that spanned six minutes. Bacot also had three blocks and two steals.
“I’ve just been trying to take a little bit of the pressure off of Cole (Anthony) because he’s been having a lot of stuff on his shoulders,” Bacot said. “I just know that we’ve all got to step up even more so his role isn’t so heavy.”
ICYMI
Williams rarely calls a timeout.
But after Elon scored its third consecutive bucket, with little defense from the Tar Heels, Williams had had enough. He called a timeout with 17:51 remaining, in what might have been the earliest timeout of his career.
Making sense of the numbers
38 Elon’s 3-point shooting percentage. The Phoenix finished the game 12-for-32 from behind the 3-point line. Meanwhile, UNC was 3-for-19, which is 16 percent. Many, if not most, of Elon’s 3-point attempts were open and uncontested.
61 percent free throw percentage from UNC. The Tar Heels continue to struggle from the free throw line. Bacot was 4-for-7. Brooks was 2-for-5.
100 percent free throw percentage for Elon. Elon hit all nine of its free throw attempts.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 10:35 PM with the headline "UNC struggles early against Elon, but pulls away in the second half for win."
