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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels use big second half to beat Furman

By Zack Pearson

Dec 14, 2021; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2021; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Going into Tuesday’s matchup with Furman, the UNC basketball program knew they couldn’t take the 7-3 Paladins lightly. And they found out that was the case in the first half before rallying in the second half.

Despite jumping out to an early lead by dominating in the paint, UNC couldn’t shake off Furman as the Paladins hit eight three-pointers in the first half. They even took a lead at one point before the two sides went into halftime tied at 39 apiece.

But the second half? That was a different story.

Furman cooled off a bit making just two three-pointers in the half and the Tar Heels used a dominant performance by their bigs led by Dawson Garcia’s 20 points to roll past the Paladins 74-61. UNC outscored Furman 35-22 in the second half and went on an early 15-4 run to grab the lead and never look back.

UNC’s defense stumped Furman, holding them to a scoreless drought of 6:20 late in that second half as the Paladins couldn’t buy a bucket. And when UNC needed a bucket the most, it was either Garcia, Brady Manek, or Aramdno Bacot delivering it.

In addition to Garcia’s 20, Manek finished the game with 13 off the bench while Bacot added 14 and 12 rebounds. Garcia also had a double-double with 10 rebounds to his stat line.

UNC controlled the boards and the paint for this one, using their size advantage to grab 44 total rebounds to Furman’s 25. The Paladins simply didn’t have an answer in the paint with their tallest player measuring at 6-foot-7.

But early on, they used their shooting ability to their advantage as they caught fire from the field making shot after shot. As that slowed down, it allowed UNC to play their game and take control.

Raleigh native Alex Hunter finished the game with a team-high 21 points for the Paladins in the loss.

The Tar Heels are now on a five-game win streak after losing two in the Hall of Fame tipoff a few weeks back. But the test gets tougher later in the week as UNC takes on No. 4 UCLA in Las Vegas for the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday.

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