Caleb Wilson showed out in front of a hometown crowd at Georgia Tech in Atlanta Saturday, scoring 22 points to lead the Tar Heels past the Yellow Jackets, 91-75.
Wilson set two new UNC program records with his performance. After the freshman eclipsed double digits, it marked the 21st consecutive game to begin his collegiate career in which Wilson has scored at least 10 points, breaking the record of 20 previously held by Rashad McCants. And once Wilson reached 20 points, it marked his 15th 20-point game of the season, breaking a tie with Tyler Hansbrough for the most ever by a Tar Heel freshman.
Wilson’s star power helped pace a Carolina offense which eclipsed 90 points for the third time in its last five games. The Tar Heels scored 52 of their 91 points in the first half, shooting 22-44 (50 percent) from the field and building a 15-point lead at halftime — the largest of the season for UNC in an ACC game. Wilson and Henri Veesaar combined for 25 of those 52 points, with Veesaar nearly recording a double-double in the first half by adding nine rebounds to his 11 points.
Veesaar would finish with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds. It was Veesaar’s 11th double-double of the season, tying him with Wilson for the most in the ACC. But it was Wilson who had the highlight of the day, soaring through the air for a massive one-handed dunk off an alley-oop from Kyan Evans.
Seth Trimble (18 points) and Luka Bogavac (16) also posted efficient nights on the offensive end. As a team, UNC only turned the ball over twice in the entire game and didn’t commit a single turnover in the second half. The two total giveaways are the Tar Heels’ fewest of the season and tie a program record for the fewest ever in a game. UNC has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in each of its last three games.
On the other end, Carolina forced 12 Georgia Tech turnovers and turned those into 18 points. The Tar Heels’ 10 steals matched a season high in ACC games. The Yellow Jackets finished with no points off of UNC’s 12 turnovers. Carolina also held decisive advantages in second-chance points (20-12), bench points (26-18) and points in the paint (44-32).
Baye Ndongo led all scorers with 27 points for the Yellow Jackets, who shot 13-26 (50 percent) in the second half but failed to ever threaten the UNC lead. Carolina led by double digits for the entire final 20 minutes.
Saturday’s win is the third in a row for UNC, which is now 17-4 overall and 5-3 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host Syracuse at the Smith Center Monday night at 7 p.m.
Featured image via Associated Press/Colin Hubbard
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