Keeping It Heel
Fansided

Cole Anthony pushes Tar Heels past Gardner-Webb, 77-61

By Marcos Chisholm

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after making a three-point basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after making a three-point basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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UNC earns second non-conference victory of the season after defeating Gardner-Webb at home on Friday night, moving to 3-0 on the season 

In a game that initially had the makings of an upset, the Tar Heels found their footing just in time.

On Friday night, the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs 77-61 at the Dean Smith Center.

Cole Anthony lived up to lofty expectations once again, scoring 28 points on 7 of 17 (41.1 percent) shooting. Nine of Anthony’s 28 points came from beyond the arc, where he shot 3 of 7 (42.8 percent) the entire game.

Armando Bacot scored a season-high 12 points, making 6 of 9 (66.7percent) shot attempts against an undersized Gardner-Webb frontcourt that had limited answers to the former No. 18 recruit on the ESPN 300.

While numerous stats indicate a smooth UNC victory, the Tar Heels faced problems in the first half. Gardner-Webb found a way to finish the first half down to North Carolina 30-27 as the UNC offense struggled to find answers beyond Cole Anthony and Armando Bacot. The freshman duo found themselves responsible for 18 of the team’s 30 first-half points, and the UNC bench had yet to provide a spark to the game. UNC shot 1 of 10 (10 percent) from the three-point line as Anthony was the only player to make a three-pointer before halftime.

North Carolina’s outlook immediately changed in the second half. After beginning the game with 9 turnovers, Tar Heels went on an 11-0 run in the first five minutes after halftime by establishing a quick pace in offensive transition without sacrificing ball security. Christian Keeling, Andrew Platek, and Justin Pierce began to share the team’s scoring load, shooting for a combined 47.6 percent on 21 total attempts and helping contribute to UNC’s 47 second-half points.

Christian Keeling, Cole Anthony, and Garrison Brooks ran into foul trouble early in the second half.

Eight of the trio’s 11 fouls came from Keeling and Anthony, leaving an impact on the overall effectiveness of the full-court press and half-court trap defenses Roy Williams implemented against Gardner-Webb.

Player of the Game

After starting the season averaging 27.0 PPG following victories against Notre Dame and UNC-Wilmington, Cole Anthony’s 28 points against Gardner-Webb show that he’s not ready to tone down the high level of his performances. Anthony’s 18 points in the second half made up lost ground in scoring efforts that the rest of the North Carolina roster has yet to reliably provide this season.

Stat of the Game

Assists. North Carolina’s 19 assists are good enough for an early 2019-2020 team-high this season. The impact of UNC’s ball movement on creating scoring opportunities is reflected in the fact that Carolina’s core still produced 17 assists without Cole Anthony distributing the ball to other teammates.

What’s next?

The Tar Heels return to the Dean Dome as they face Elon next Wednesday night. The game will tip-off at 8:30 PM EST and will be broadcasted live on ACC Network.

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