Carolina erased a 20-point first-half deficit and even led briefly at No. 1 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse, but the Jayhawks closed on a 9-2 run to defeat the Tar Heels 92-89 on Friday night.

UNC was the victim of a Kansas blitz in the game’s first 20 minutes, as the Jayhawks shot 22-37 (59.5 percent) in the first half. The Jayhawk big men dominated, outscoring the Tar Heels 30-12 in the paint. Led by 24 combined points from K.J. Adams and Zeke Mayo, Kansas built a lead as large as 49-29 before Carolina cut it to 15 points at 53-38 by halftime. It was the most points UNC had allowed in a first half since 2016.

In the second half, Carolina slowly chipped away at the lead thanks to a steady diet of free throws. The Tar Heels took a total of 17 in the second half and 31 for the game, compared to just 17 for Kansas. The Jayhawk lead, which stood at 77-66 with 10:39 to go, suddenly slipped to 77-75 in less than two minutes after a 9-0 UNC run. Heroics from Jae’Lyn Withers then gave the Tar Heels a stunning 80-79 lead with 7:09 left, and the game remained tight down the stretch.

A free throw from Jalen Washington increased Carolina’s lead to 87-83 with 3:28 to go, its largest of the half. Washington scored again with 2:03 left to break an 87-87 tie, but a jumper from Mayo and a layup from Dickinson in a span of 28 seconds slingshot Kansas back in front, and the Tar Heels couldn’t find an answer. Washington missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute, and Elliot Cadeau missed a three to force overtime as time expired.

Seth Trimble finished as the Tar Heels’ leading scorer with 19 points. R.J. Davis scored 16, but again struggled with his shot; the All-American finished 3-15 from the floor and made only one of his seven three-point tries. Withers scored 11 points and tied with Washington for the team lead with nine rebounds, while Ian Jackson and Ven-Allen Lubin each scored 10 points off the bench. Lubin fouled out late in the second half.

The Tar Heels have not beaten Kansas since 2002, having lost five straight to the Jayhawks. Kansas will visit Carolina in the Dean Smith Center next season, in what will be the program’s first ever visit to Chapel Hill.

The loss drops Carolina to 1-1. UNC will be back in action when it hosts American at the Smith Center on Friday, November 15 at 8 p.m.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Charlie Riedel

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