Junior guard Leaky Black hit a floater from the right side with just nine seconds remaining on Saturday at the Smith Center to lift the UNC men’s basketball team to a 66-65 victory over Notre Dame.

Black’s shot snapped a two-game losing streak for the Tar Heels (6-4, 1-2 ACC) and gave a positive ending to what was a career game for freshman forward Day’Ron Sharpe–who led UNC with a career-high 25 points and nine rebounds.

Notre Dame led for the majority of the game behind 25 points and nine rebounds from forward Nate Laszewski, who hit a game-winning shot for the Fighting Irish (3-6, 0-3 ACC) in Chapel Hill last season.

Sharpe–who has moved into the starting lineup over Preseason ACC Player of the Year Garrison Brooks–began to assert himself more down the stretch, however, tallying 16 of his 25 points over the final 12 minutes of the game.

“He played very well,” head coach Roy Williams said afterwards about Sharpe. “He’s very active and he’s a load around the basket. I’m stunned that I look and he only had nine rebounds. I thought he had 15.”

A pair of made free throws by the star freshman gave UNC a 59-57 lead with a little more than four minutes on the clock, but the shaky Tar Heel defense allowed Notre Dame to convert four layups over the next three-plus minutes–giving the Fighting Irish a 65-64 lead with just 36 seconds remaining.

Bucking against tradition, UNC head coach Roy Williams then called timeout to set up the team’s final play–which resulted in Black’s game-winner.

A strong defensive possession in the final seconds kept Notre Dame from getting a good shot opportunity, and put the finishing touches on a much-needed victory for the Tar Heels.

“Leaky stunk it up on the next-to-last defensive possession,” Williams said. “He took his eye off the ball and his guy laid it up. And in the [timeout] huddle, I said, ‘Alright, you made a bad play. Now make a great one.'”

Up Next:

The Tar Heels return to the court on Tuesday for a road game at Miami. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 8 p.m.

Game Notes:

  • UNC grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and converted them into 18 points, while Notre Dame grabbed just 27 total rebounds.
  • The Fighting Irish did the bulk of their damage from the perimeter, making 11 of their 30 attempts from three-point range–including seven makes from Laszewski.
  • Freshman guard Kerwin Walton got his second consecutive start for the Tar Heels. His 12 points made him the only Tar Heel besides Sharpe to score in double figures. He also went 4-for-8 from three-point range, while the rest of the team combined to shoot 4-for-15 from distance.
  • Of UNC’s 66 points in the game, 49 were scored by freshmen.

 

 

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

Photo via HawkeyeSports.com

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