UNC scored 50 points in the second half and got a career-best performance from center Henri Veesaar in an 85-70 win against St. Bonaventure in the first game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida Tuesday night.
Veesaar scored a career-high 24 points to go along with a team-best 13 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season. Star freshman Caleb Wilson also finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. Wilson shot just 4-12 from the floor but was a perfect 10-10 at the free throw line.
Carolina raced out to a hot start and led 15-5 early, but the Bonnies rallied back to take a 30-28 lead before going into halftime trailing by only two points at 35-33. UNC held firm in the second half, opening on a 12-5 run to take a nine-point lead. Wilson, Veesaar and guard Kyan Evans accounted for Carolina’s first 17 points of the half, pacing a UNC offense which would finish the period shooting 16-30 (53.3 percent) from the floor. Fueled by that hot shooting, the Tar Heels never let the Bonnies lead again and stretched the advantage to as large as 20 points at 75-55 late in the game.
Evans finished with 11 points on 4-5 shooting. Luka Bogavac was the fourth Tar Heel in double figures with 10 points to go along with four assists, a steal and only one turnover in 30 minutes of action.
Carolina held a decisive advantage at the free throw line, taking 27 foul shots to just eight for St. Bonaventure. The UNC defense held the Bonnies offense to just 29-70 (41.4 percent) shooting from the floor and outrebounded them 40-31.
With the win, UNC is now 6-0 on the season. It is the team’s best start to a year under head coach Hubert Davis, and the program’s best start overall since the 2016-17 season, which ended in a national title win.
The Tar Heels will be back in action when they face No. 11 Michigan State in the second game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Featured image via Associated Press/Scott Audette
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