Another slow start...
The Tar Heels began the game with their thoughts clouded with calculus, Spanish, organic chem, etc. They were distracted, disjointed, and quickly fell behind 8-2. If this was an SEC team or Duke instead of La Salle, it could have been a much uglier first half.
About four minutes into the game, UNC started picking up the pace. Once they caught up to La Salle's eight points, the Tar Heels never fell behind again.
Defense was key. La Salle hit a three-pointer to go up 8-2 at the 16:37 mark. The Explorers did not score again for four minutes and 40 seconds.
The Tar Heels limited La Salle to just 35.6% shooting from the field and turned them over on 16.4% of their possessions. They blocked six shots and grabbed eight steals. For a smaller team, UNC needs to have active hands to increase the number of possessions they get, because they can expect to lose the rebounding battle to bigger teams.
This defensive performance was solid.