UNC Basketball: Tar Heels end losing streak with win over UCLA

The UNC Basketball team ends their losing streak with a win over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon

Without their star freshman Cole Anthony for the third-straight game, it was a pair of fellow class of 2019 commits that got it done for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday afternoon.

The Tar Heels were able to end their four-game losing streak with a 74-64 win over UCLA on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas thanks to the performances of Armando Bacot and Anthony Harris. Both freshmen came to play in this one as Bacot finished with a double-double, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Harris had the best game of his short career, scoring all 14 of his points in the second half.

The game started as a back-and-forth contest with neither team pulling away. But a 12-0 run late in the first half gave the Tar Heels a 36-23 lead at the break. For the first time in a while, UNC’s offense looked good for a portion of the first half. They started off slow early on but late in the first half, they were executing.

With that 13 point lead at halftime, it appeared as if UNC was comfortable. But maybe perhaps a little too comfortable.

The Bruins opened up the second half on a 12-0 run and cut the lead down to one with just over 17 minutes left in the game. After that, UNC regrouped and managed to never let the lead get down to less than two again.

The Tar Heels went on a run of their own in the second half backed behind the play of Harris and Bacot. They went on a 21-10 run to push the lead out to eight with just over seven minutes left in the game. That run was sparked by 16 points from the duo including a stretch on which Harris hit back-to-back three-pointers.

UNC was then able to close it out and get their seventh win of the year while ending that four-game losing streak.

Freshman Jeremiah Francis finished with 12 points despite shooting 1 of 8 from the field. He was 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Garrison Brooks added in 12 points and 9 rebounds in the win.

Player of the Game

We are going to go with Anthony Harris. He scored all 14 of his points in the second half to help the Tar Heels hold off UCLA. When UNC needed Harris the most after the Bruins cut that 13 point lead, he delivered.

Harris’ drained back-to-back three-pointers late in the second half to all but seal it for the Tar Heels in this one. Let’s see if he can build on his career night against Yale next week.

Stat of the Game

UCLA won the rebounding battle 41-37. That’s something you don’t see often as the Tar Heels entered the game as the top rebounding team in the country.

What’s next?

The Tar Heels will have over a week off for the Holidays before they return to action to take on Yale in the final non-conference game of the year. UNC will be 7-5 and facing a Yale team that is 9-3 but has games at Clemson and at UNC next.