Henri Veesaar scored a team-high 19 points and played 26 minutes in his return from a lower-extremity injury as UNC beat Syracuse 77-64 at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday afternoon. Veesaar had missed Carolina’s previous two games with his injury.

Veesaar, who dressed for UNC’s game against Pittsburgh but did not do so at NC State three days later was initially listed as questionable on the Tar Heels’ injury report filed the night before Saturday’s game at Syracuse. Two hours before tip-off, he was designated as a game-time decision. He eventually emerged from the locker room dressed out, and was included in the Tar Heels’ starting lineup.

He made his return to action count, scoring nine points on 4-5 shooting in the first half, which saw Carolina recover from an early six-point hole to lead 33-28 at halftime. Veesaar was even more assertive in the second, scoring 10 points and silencing the Dome with a powerful one-handed dunk.

Veesaar’s dunk came in the middle of a 10-2 UNC run. The Tar Heels started the run after Syracuse had fought back to tie the game at 44-44, but Carolina stifled that momentum quickly with baskets from Zayden High, Seth Trimble and Veesaar. After the Orange had tied the game, they only managed one made field goal across the next 7:24 of game time.

Carolina’s defense repeatedly frustrated Syracuse leading scorer Donnie Freeman, who finished his night with nine points after scoring 23 against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill earlier this month. He and High were both ejected late in the game after receiving double technical fouls.

UNC held Syracuse to just 3-17 (17.6 percent) shooting on three-point attempts. J.J. Starling finished as the game’s top scorer with 22 points, but no other Orange teammate scored more than 10. For Carolina, Trimble and Luka Bogavac both added 13 points, while High grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds before his ejection. The play of Veesaar and High helped UNC score 42 points in the paint.

Carolina is now 16-4 in 20 meetings against Syracuse as conference opponents. All time, the Tar Heels are 20-7 against the Orange and 7-3 at Syracuse.

Saturday’s win improves Carolina to 21-6 overall and 9-5 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host No. 21 Louisville at the Dean Smith Center Monday night at 7 p.m.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Adrian Kraus

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