UNC Basketball: Strong Second Half Overcomes Early Struggles

Following a sluggish start on Thanksgiving Eve, the UNC Basketball program used a strong second half to win game one in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

For the UNC Basketball program, it was a sluggish start in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis against the Northern Iowa Panthers. In pre-season tournaments, the Tar Heels haven’t had much success since winning the Maui Invitational in 2016 and have just an 8-8 record in pre-season tournaments.

The Tar Heels appeared destined for another poor start in this one as they trailed 10-2 early against the Panthers. After battling back to take a 27-25 lead with 6:15 left in the first half, Northern Iowa answered with another push to take a 41-35 lead into the halftime break.

In the first half, the Panthers shot 60%, while the Tar Heels struggled, shooting just 33.3% from the field. The Panthers also dominated the offensive glass, winning the battle on the boards 18-12. The defensive intensity from North Carolina was a bright spot in the first half, and making 14 of 16 free throws kept the Tar Heels in the game.

The offensive struggles were evident, as Harrison Ingram, RJ Davis, and Cormac Ryan were a combined 3-17 from the field, while the rest of the team was 6-10 in the first half. However, the good news for the UNC Basketball program is that would change in the second half.

The Tar Heels started the second half on fire and were able to get rid of those early shooting struggles. As former UNC Basketball coach Roy Williams always said, “Everything looks better when the ball goes in the basket.” That statement couldn’t have been any more true than it was in the second half on Wednesday afternoon.

Jae’lyn Withers started the second half in place of Seth Trimble (who took Paxson Wojcik’s starting spot at the beginning of the game) and provided a spark on both ends of the floor. Those struggles from Davis and Ryan? Yeah, they were put away early in the second half.

Davis started the scoring with a layup, and then Ryan began the half with a three-for-three performance from behind the arc leading to a 16-1 UNC Basketball run, giving the Tar Heels a 51-42 lead.

The scoring wouldn’t stop there, though. Davis, Ingram, and Ryan, along with several other Tar Heels, would ultimately begin the half on a 34-6 scoring run, giving them a 69-47 lead with 10:05 remaining in the second half.

Northern Iowa would close the gap to 79-65, with 3:50 remaining in the contest. However, that’s as close as the Panthers would get the rest of the game. The Tar Heels closed the game strong on a 12-4 run and finished off the Panthers with a 91-69 victory, winning the second half 56-28.

After trailing the rebounding battle 18-12 in the first half, the Tar Heels won the rebounding margin 36 -33. The Panthers ultimately cooled off from their 60% first-half shooting performance, finishing 45.3% for the game, while the Tar Heels shot 42.6% for the game, and 46.2% from three-point range.

Six Tar Heels scored in double figures on Wednesday afternoon. Ingram had 16, Ryan 15, Elliot Cadeau 15, Davis 13, Withers 11, and Armando Bacot had 10. The Tar Heels also combined for nine blocks on the defensive end of the floor.

The Tar Heels advance to the winner’s bracket portion of the Battle 4 Atlantis and will face the winner of Texas Tech and Villanova at 2:30 PM on ESPN on Thanksgiving Day in the semifinals.

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