An eventful first 20 minutes in Atlanta had UNC basketball fans wanting to avoid the Peach State indefinitely.

After the Tar Heels scored 12 of the game’s first 16 points, Georgia Tech ripped off a 19-2 run to take a 23-14 lead and send McCamish Pavilion, known affectionately as the “Thrillerdome,” into a frenzy. The Yellow Jackets used red-hot shooting from downtown to key the run, knocking down their first five tries from beyond the arc.

Staring down the program’s third loss in a row to the Jackets, Carolina once again faced a potential turning point in its season. Following the team’s win against Michigan on Wednesday, junior forward Armando Bacot said the team did some “soul-searching” prior to that game. But there was no eight-day layoff for Carolina this time. The Tar Heels needed a quick spark to avoid a blowout.

That’s exactly what happened, as some tough buckets from sophomore guard R.J. Davis helped Carolina to a 10-2 run in the first half’s final minutes. The run did away with the Yellow Jackets’ 29-21 advantage and sent the game into halftime tied at 31-31.

UNC’s positive momentum continued into the second half. After Georgia Tech’s Michael Devoe scored two quick baskets, Carolina exploded for a 29-8 run over the next 10 minutes of game time, flipping a 35-31 deficit into a massive 60-43 lead. Davis’ shooting stroke hadn’t cooled off in the locker rooms, with three three-pointers from the sophomore pushing the Tar Heels to the 17-point advantage. Davis finished with 23 points, his second 20-point outing of the campaign. He is shooting 51.4 percent from three-point range this season.

Davis was one of three Tar Heels to make a three-pointer on the day, along with sophomore guard Caleb Love and graduate forward Brady Manek. All three of those players shot 50 percent or better from downtown: Love finished 3-5, Davis 4-6 and Manek 3-6.

Down low, Bacot showed off his complete offensive game by pouring in 15 points on 7-11 shooting. As a team, Carolina scorched the nets to the tune of 31-55 shooting (56.4 percent), including a blistering 19-29 in the second half. Georgia Tech’s hot first half gave way to a cold second, and the Yellow Jackets finished just 25-54 from the floor.

When the clock hit zero, UNC had earned its first win over Georgia Tech since 2019.

The win moves UNC to 1-0 in ACC play, but Carolina won’t have a chance to move to 2-0 until December 29, when Virginia Tech visits Chapel Hill. After Sunday’s victory, head coach Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels will have six days off for final exams before hosting Elon on Saturday, December 11. A massive matchup with No. 5 UCLA looms large on December 18, sandwiched between home matchups with Furman and Appalachian State before the Christmas holiday.

 

Featured image via 247 Sports

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