The No. 15 North Carolina men’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a miserable first half Tuesday night, ultimately falling to rival N.C. State 58-46. The 46 points was the lowest point total for the Tar Heels in Smith Center history.
***Listen to the story***
With the loss, Carolina dropped to a 19-9 mark on the season and 9-6 in ACC play while the Wolfpack improved to 17-11 overall and 8-7 in the league. What’s more, the road win likely cemented N.C. State’s place in the NCAA Tournament.
UNC freshman forward Justin Jackson tallied 16 points to lead all scorers, but he was one of the few bright spots for the home team on this night.
The crowd was loud Tuesday night, but the UNC players fell short (Todd Melet)
The Wolfpack trio of Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber, Ralston Turner and Trevor Lacey formed a potent triumvirate, amassing 43 of their team’s 58 points.
UNC head coach Roy Williams was at a loss for words after the game, disappointed that after motivating the crowd “to show up and invest” after Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech, his team let its fans down in the rivalry defeat.
“They were dominating from the first get-go. Before I even get to that, I want to say something and make something really clear. Our crowd was great tonight, and we let them down. They were sensational. They were off the charts. The coach let them down and the players…early in the game they dominated everything. They intimidated us inside,” Coach Williams says.
***Listen to Roy Williams’ postgame remarks***
N.C. State outrebounded Carolina 41-38 and seemingly came up with every loose ball and jump ball rebound. Not surprisingly, Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried was delighted with his team’s effort.
“We answered their run, which I thought was really important and was really something I was very proud of for our team, so it’s a great win for us. Obviously, North Carolina is a terrific team. We’re very fortunate, so I’m very proud of our guys,” Coach Gottfried says.
N.C. State grabbed a milestone victory (Todd Melet)
The first half couldn’t have gone more poorly for the Tar Heels. UNC shot a mere 28 percent from the floor, but NC State was able to effectively limit the second-chance opportunities for Carolina. The Wolfpack gobbled up defensive rebounds with ruthless authority.
Roy Williams was fired up as usual (Todd Melet)
The final score of the first half for the Tar Heels came on Meeks’ tip-in with still 5:46 to go.
At intermission, NC State held a 29-18 advantage in large part to dominance on the boards. The visiting team held a 25-17 lead in the rebounding department. The 18 points put up by UNC was the lowest production in any half in the Smith Center in the Roy Williams era.
“We were getting the ball five, six feet away from the basket, so I don’t know. We just couldn’t convert a lot of those, I don’t know why. Usually our bigs do a great job of scoring inside. We just couldn’t get the ball to go in. Justin had a couple of easy throws around the basket, but you know they are physical and obviously very good shot blockers. That might have had something to do with it,” UNC junior guard Marcus Paige says.
In the second half, after falling behind 34-18 with 18:12 to play, the Tar Heels mounted a strong rally by getting out in transition and pushing the tempo. The Smith Center crowd erupted when UNC closed to within four at 36-32 with 12:10 remaining in the contest.
But from there, the Tar Heels again lost their way and to the Wolfpack’s credit, they maintained their pose down the stretch. Senior guard Ralston Turner’s three-pointer with 4:58 to play might have been the turning point, extending N.C. State’s lead back out to seven points.
Late turnovers and careless passes further doomed the Tar Heels in the waning minutes and led to the men in red celebrating a rare win in Chapel Hill. The last win for the Wolfpack in the Smith Center came in 2003.
The Tar Heels return to action 2 p.m. Saturday at Miami.
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