The Tar Heels stood tall by going small against pesky Wake Forest.

It began when Pete Nance left the game in the first two minutes with a back injury, and Hubert Davis went to his bench earlier than usual.

He played little-used senior Justin McKoy, big-time freshman recruit Jalen Washington and inconsistent junior Puff Johnson, and it was McKoy who contributed 17 minutes of 2s – points, free throws, rebounds and blocks with a defensive effort that should earn him more time on the court.

But it wasn’t until Hubert tried three guards with Leaky Black and Armando Bacot that UNC came back from a six-point deficit and ran off to the 88-79 win that got some of the Pitt taste out of their mouths and ours, as well.

Seth Trimble, the athletic 6-3 freshman, joined R.J. Davis and Caleb Love to play the determined defense that finally slowed down Wake Forest’s drives and long balls in a game interrupted for 10 minutes so an ill fan could be taken out of the Smith Center on a portable wheelchair.

By then, the Heels had wrestled the momentum away with the small lineup that remained on the court for the last 14 minutes of the much-needed win. Fortunately, they kept the Big Mo and went on to outscore the black-clad visitors 27-19 to even their ACC record at 2-2 and 10-5 overall.

R.J. Davis was the offensive fireplug, hitting five 3-pointers and finishing with 27 points, three off his college max of 30 in last season’s NCAA tournament win over Baylor. He hit 6 of his 8 shots and all four free throws in the second half, and his quick-release bombs ignited a once-nervous home crowd. He also had four assists and no turnovers in his 38 minutes.

Along with Trimble’s college high of 11 points were two blocks that became four of the 32 points scored off Wake’s 15 turnovers. He was stellar on defense, staying with quicker Deacons and creating open shots through his movement without the ball that he said “kept our offense from getting stagnant.”

Wake’s last lead was 65-64 at the 10-minute mark before the Tar Heels exploded with a decisive scoring run that included a Trimble layup and follow shot, Bacot’s dunk, and R.J.’s last two 3-pointers sandwiched around Caleb Love’s only one of the night to put the game away.

UNC needed its torrid 60 percent shooting in the second half because the Deacons shot 55 percent. Hubert credited Love whose bad shooting (3-for-15) was offset by his aggressive defense. “We don’t win without Caleb,” he said.

The player of the game was Black, who was Mr. Offense in the first half with 3½ three pointers (one went halfway down before popping out) and Mr. Defense in the second with constant pressure on Wake’s wing shooters and big men. “Leaky’s defense was elite,” said Coach Davis.

Bacot’s 21 points extended his streak with at least 20 to four straight games. He had 9 rebounds and dished out 5 assists with no turnovers, the first time he has done that in college.

All in all, it was night they hopefully all remember moving forward.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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