Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels rally behind second half run to defeat Charleston

By Nick Delahanty

SOUTH BEND, IN - FEBRUARY 17: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbles the ball against John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on February 17, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - FEBRUARY 17: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbles the ball against John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on February 17, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The UNC basketball program picked up their first victory as they defeated Charleston in their season opener.

After a long wait (258 days to be exact), the UNC basketball team is back in action.

On Wednesday night, the Tar Heels picked up their first victory of the 2020-2021 season as they defeated Charleston 79-60.

The first half was what you should’ve expected from two teams who haven’t played an opposing team in a while. Both sides were a bit sloppy, but the Tar Heels were able to take a seven-point lead into the second half.

However, the start to the second half wasn’t ideal for Roy Williams’ team.

The Tar Heels struggled shooting the ball, as they started the half missing 11 of their first 12 shots. With the Tar Heels struggling, Charleston took advantage, as they took a 43-42 lead with just over 15 minutes left to play.

Although the half started poorly for the Tar Heels, they quickly bounced back.

North Carolina responded with a 23-3 run to give them a lead that they would not give up.

Without a doubt, the star of the night was freshman Day’Ron Sharpe, who played a huge role off the bench. The highly-touted forward recorded his first collegiate double-double, as he scored 13 points and hauled in 10 rebounds.

Throughout the game, Sharpe made his presence known down low.  He became the first freshman since Ed Davis to record four or more offensive rebounds in their first collegiate contest.

Overall, the Tar Heels had four players score in double-figures, three of which were freshman. Caleb Love led the team with 17 points in his debut, while sophomore Armando Bacot (12) and freshman R.J. Davis (11) helped balance out the team’s scoring attack.

Game Notes:

-The Tar Heels starting backcourt featured two freshmen (Love and Davis). This marks the first time that Williams has started an all-freshman backcourt since 2007 (Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington).

-Garrison Brooks came up short in his quest to score his 1000th career point on Wednesday evening. The senior forward needed 9 points to accomplish the feat, but only scored six total points. Brooks shot 3-10 from the floor and did not record a basket in the second half.

-All six freshmen saw the floor in the Tar Heels opening night victory. Davis, Love and Sharpe saw the most playing time, but Williams did trickle in his three other newcomers during the contest. Donovan “Puff” Johnson hit his only shot attempt (one of the team’s four three-point field goals). Walker Kessler didn’t see the floor until the second half, but scored six points and hauled in four rebounds in limited action. Kerwin Walton saw a good amount of play time, but missed all three of his shot attempts.

-The Tar Heels took advantage of their size in the second half, especially on the offensive glass. North Carolina out-rebounded Charleston 49-34, including a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass. Their success rebounding the ball was critical in the team’s huge run that helped them pull a way for good.

The UNC basketball team will be back in action on Monday night, as they take on UNLV in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM, and the game will be aired on ESPN2.

dark. Next. UNC Basketball: Tar Heels not out on five-star recruit

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates regarding the UNC basketball program.

Home/UNC Basketball