A Henri Veesaar dunk gave UNC the lead with seven seconds left and Ohio State missed a potential game-winning three-pointer as the Tar Heels beat the Buckeyes 71-70 at the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta Saturday.
Seth Trimble provided the assist to Veesaar in his first game back from injury, spinning into the lane and slipping before bouncing the ball to Veesaar. The dunk helped Veesaar end the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Caleb Wilson, playing in his hometown, led all scorers with 20 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds for his eighth double-double. Trimble scored 17 points and tied a career high with three made three-pointers.
The Tar Heels led for much of the game, turning a 16-14 Buckeye advantage early on into a 29-20 lead in the final minutes of the first half. Ohio State closed that deficit to three points at halftime, but UNC appeared ready to break the game open midway through the second when it took a 58-47 lead with 10:38 remaining.
That was as large as the Carolina lead would get, as the Buckeyes got critical baskets from leading scorer Bruce Thornton and took advantage of a flagrant foul against Veesaar to trim the lead down to 62-57 by the 6:00 mark, then 64-62 with 3:50 to go. UNC managed to keep its nose in front until the final minute, when Ohio State’s John Mobley made a three – the Buckeyes’ first of the second half – while drawing a foul on Wilson. Mobley made the ensuing free throw to give Ohio State a 70-67 edge.
Trimble answered with a layup on UNC’s next possession and head coach Hubert Davis called a timeout. Carolina then forced a Buckeye turnover with a full-court press, giving the ball back to the Tar Heels. After another UNC timeout, Trimble cut into the lane and stumbled before miraculously finding Veesaar for the game-winning dunk.
Ohio State called its final timeout with four seconds remaining. The Buckeyes gave the ball to Mobley, whose long three missed off the back rim. Ohio State’s Devin Royal corralled the rebound and attempted a game-winning putback, but saw it blocked by both Veesaar and Wilson as time expired.
UNC finished the game shooting 28-63 (44.4 percent) as a team and just 7-13 (53.8 percent) from the free throw line. Thornton, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer averaging more than 21 points per game, finished with 16 points, though he needed 16 shot attempts while working through defense by Trimble to do so. Notably, UNC held a 15-0 advantage in bench points. Jarin Stevenson, who went to the bench with Trimble’s return to the starting lineup, led all Tar Heel reserves with six points and made the critical steal which led to Veesaar’s dunk in the final seconds.
Saturday’s win improves UNC to 11-1 this season, which is the program’s best start through 12 games since the 2008-09 season. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host East Carolina at the Smith Center Monday night at 8 p.m.
Featured image via Associated Press/Mike Stewart
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