University of North Carolina Athletics

 
CORAL GABLES, FLA.—RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau combined for 44 points and Armando Bacot posted his 79th career double-double as third-ranked North Carolina outlasted Miami, 75-72, on Saturday afternoon in the Watsco Center.
 
The Tar Heels (18-5) remained atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings at 11-2. Miami fell to 15-9, 6-7 ACC.
 
After trailing 15-2 to start Tuesday night’s loss to Clemson, the Tar Heels roared out of the locker room to lead, 15-4, early on Saturday. Miami rallied and took the lead before halftime, but Carolina held the Hurricanes to 37 percent shooting in the second half (including 2 of 14 from three-point range) for the win.
 
Davis scored 25 points, hitting five three-pointers and adding seven rebounds and five assists. Cadeau scored a season-high 19 while also dishing out eight assists in a career-high 35 minutes. Bacot tallied 10 points and 15 boards, and Harrison Ingram chipped in 13 points.
 
Miami entered the game fourth in the ACC in three-point accuracy at 37.1 percent, but the Tar Heel defense limited the Hurricanes to 6 for 23 from long range on the day (26.1 percent).
 
 
How It Happened
First Half
• Miami took a 2-0 lead before Carolina ripped off a 15-2 run to lead, 15-4, at the first media timeout.
• Davis hit his first two three-point attempts of the day, giving him 21 consecutive games with multiple three-pointers (extending his school record).
• UNC started out on fire, hitting 8 of its first 13 shots (61.5 percent) and leading, 20-11, at the second official TO.
• After Carolina led by as many as 12 in the early going (at 20-8), the Hurricanes inched closer in the final minutes of the half and took a 34-33 lead with 3:29 to go until halftime. Nigel Pack hit four consecutive three-pointers in the final 10 minutes of the half and the Canes led, 41-40, at the break.
• Cadeau scored 11 points and was 4 for 8 from the floor with four assists in the first half.
• Davis had 16 first-half points, draining 4 of 6 three-point tries and adding three assists.

Second Half

• Carolina went on a 14-2 run in the opening moments of the second half to retake momentum and grab an eight-point lead at 54-46.

• UNC started the half on a 20-9 spurt to reestablish a double-digit lead at 60-50 with 11:45 remaining.

• After Carolina took a 68-56 lead, Miami went on a 7-0 run until a dunk by Bacot stopped the run and gave the big man his 79th career double-double.

• An 8-1 Miami run made it 72-69 Tar Heels with 1:34 to play, but Cormac Ryan tipped a Miami pass out of bounds to prevent a layup. He then hit a free throw with eight seconds remaining to give UNC a 75-71 advantage and essentially ice the victory.

• After Pack (18) and Rorchad Ormier (16) combined for 34 points in the first half, they had just six points collectively in the second half and finished with 20 points apiece.

 

Postgame Tidbits & Notes

• Saturday’s game was the first of two meetings between UNC and UM in 17 days (the Hurricanes will visit Chapel Hill on Monday, February 26).

• Carolina leads the all-time series with Miami, 27-10, including 20-9 since the Hurricanes joined the ACC for the 2004-05 season.

• The Tar Heels are 11-4 at Miami (9-4 at the Watsco Center).

• Carolina is 6-1 on the road this season, all in ACC action. Saturday’s win in Coral Gables clinched the Tar Heels’ 44th winning season on the road in 71 years of ACC play.

• Seth Trimble (upper body) missed his second consecutive game.

• The game was Bacot’s 156th as a Tar Heel, breaking Leaky Black’s UNC career record for games played. It was his 155th start, also a Carolina record. Deon Thompson played the most games in a four-year career (152).

• Bacot passed Tim Duncan for third in ACC history in rebounding. Bacot has 1,581 boards in his four-plus seasons in Chapel Hill.

• With his two blocked shots, Bacot became the first Tar Heel to have 2,000 points, 1,500 rebounds, 200 blocks, and 100 steals in a career.

 

 

Up Next

Carolina will visit Syracuse on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

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