Freshman star Caleb Wilson recorded his second consecutive double-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and four blocks to help Carolina dispatch North Carolina Central 97-53 Friday night at the Smith Center.
Wilson scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the first half alone, securing his double-double early in the second.
“It’s definitely rare to see an athletic, six-ten guy like Caleb,” said wing Jonathan Powell, who finished with nine points in 18 minutes off the bench. “Being able to be mobile and move around the court, defensively and offensively. He’s special.”
“I tried to be as efficient as I could today,” Wilson said. “And it worked. [I shot] 7-8. So it was a great game, but it’s on to the next.”
Wilson provided much of the offense in a sleepy opening 20 minutes for the Tar Heels, who led 39-24 at halftime despite committing 10 turnovers. Carolina ran away from the Eagles after the half, outscoring NC Central 58-29 in the final 20 minutes.
Henri Veesaar also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Luka Bogavac, once again starting in place of the injured Seth Trimble, scored 13 points. Twelve different Tar Heels scored on the night, including little-used reserves Evan Smith and John Holbrook, who scored their first points of the season against the Eagles.
Defensively, UNC blocked a season-high 14 NC Central shots (more than the Tar Heels recorded in their first three games combined), with Wilson and Veesaar combining for nine of those rejections. It was Carolina’s highest block total in a game since the 2013-14 season. Against the Tar Heels’ towering rim protection, the Eagles shot just 16-66 (24.2 percent) from the floor, while Carolina finished the night 30-55 (54.5 percent).
“I thought we were pretty good [on defense],” said freshman Derek Dixon, who scored a career-high nine points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. “Still, obviously, can be better… but I think, as a whole, we were pretty good tonight. It’s good to keep building for the future.”
“Throughout the game, we just got better,” head coach Hubert Davis said. “One-on-one defense, our ball screen attack, our switches were better, we were boxing out better. I felt, overall, it was a really good defensive night for us.”
Friday’s win improves UNC to 4-0 overall on the season. The 44-point margin of victory is the team’s largest of the year. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host Navy at the Smith Center next Tuesday night, November 18 at 7 p.m.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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