Elliot Cadeau made a three-pointer and was fouled with 4.8 seconds remaining to help Carolina pull out an improbable 74-73 win at Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon.

Cadeau’s heroics came as UNC faced a 73-70 deficit in the waning seconds. The sophomore stepped back and nailed a long jumper while tumbling to the floor, then made the ensuing free throw to give Carolina the lead. Notre Dame missed a layup as the final buzzer sounded.

The chaotic final moments came after UNC led for almost all of the game’s first 25 minutes. The Tar Heels built a lead as large as 12 points in the first half, led by seven points at halftime and held a 47-36 advantage with 16 minutes remaining in the game. But the Fighting Irish, buoyed by the return of reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Markus Burton, responded with a 12-0 run to take their first lead since the game’s early moments. Burton – who had not played since late November with a knee injury – finished with 23 points off the bench.

The teams traded punches down the stretch, and it was a jumper from Burton which gave Notre Dame a 71-68 lead with 1:15 to go. Carolina promptly turned the ball over on its next possession, giving the Irish the ball back with a chance to ice the game. But Notre Dame committed a turnover of its own, and Cadeau scored a layup on the other end to cut the lead to 71-70. The Irish’s Matt Allocco made two free throws after being fouled with 14 seconds remaining, setting the table for Cadeau’s shot.

Ian Jackson led the way for the Tar Heels with a career-high 27 points, while Cadeau finished with 10. Jackson is the first UNC freshman to score at least 20 points in four consecutive games since Tyler Hansbrough. R.J. Davis scored just eight, but did pass former teammate Armando Bacot for second place on UNC’s all-time scoring list. Davis also finished with a season-high seven assists.

The win improves Carolina to 9-6 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host SMU at the Smith Center on Tuesday at 9 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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