No. 15 UNC defeats Harvard, 77-57, in final tune up before start of ACC play

On Wednesday night, the North Carolina men's basketball team took on Harvard in its final non-conference game of the regular season at the Smith Center.

The No. 15 Tar Heels began separating themselves at the end of the first half and ran away with a 77-57 victory over the Crimson. Senior forward Luke Maye led the way with 14 points.

What happened?

Both teams got off to fast starts with 12 points scored in the first three minutes of action. UNC (10-3) took an 8-4 lead thanks to four quick points from sophomore forward Garrison Brooks. Harvard (6-6) countered with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one point. Brooks quickly picked up his second foul with 15:36 left in the first half and headed to the bench.

UNC extended its lead to 14-7 thanks to four consecutive points by senior forward Luke Maye and a layup from graduate guard Cameron Johnson that led to a Harvard timeout. 

Following the timeout, the teams traded points. Maye added to his early scoring total with a 3-pointer and UNC took a 17-10 lead into the under-12 timeout.

The Crimson went on an 8-0 run to take an 18-17 lead, but the Tar Heels quickly responded. First-year guard Coby White raced up court after the Harvard score and hit a jumper to give UNC the lead right back, leading to another Crimson timeout.

From there, the teams traded baskets. A layup from Harvard was answered by a driving score from Johnson as UNC retook the lead for the fourth time in the first half. 

A 3-pointer from Johnson extended North Carolina's lead to four points and the lead stretched to five thanks to a free throw from Maye. After a basket from Harvard, first-year forward Nassir Little brought the Smith Center crowd to its feet with a thunderous dunk to bring the lead to 27-21 right before the under-four timeout. 

The Tar Heels looked to establish some distance from the Crimson and went on a 10-4 spurt that included two buckets from senior guard Kenny Williams, a Johnson 3-pointer and an and-one layup from Little.

Consecutive 3-pointers from Harvard answered the run and brought the deficit to 37-31 with 1:40 remaining in the half. UNC responded with four points to take a 41-31 lead into halftime.

The Crimson came roaring out of the gate in the second half and quickly cut the Tar Heel lead down to just five points at the 16:24 mark.

From there, White took charge. He hit a jumper, then followed with an and-one layup to bring the lead back to 49-39 at the 14:28 mark in the second half. The lead ballooned to 14 points following two made free throws by Brooks and a 3-pointer by Little. Two made free throws by White and a 3-pointer by first-year Leaky Black gave UNC a 10-0 run and extended the lead to 19 points with 11:01 remaining.

With 6:20 remaining, two made free throws from Little extended the largest lead of the night to 24 points at 66-42. 

At the final media timeout, UNC led 71-53 and went on to win, 77-57.

Who stood out?

Five players finished in double figures, led by 14 points from Maye. White and Johnson each finished with 13 points, Little had 12 and Williams had 11.

When was it decided?

UNC took a double-digit lead into halftime and after a brief run by Harvard, went on to win by 20 points.

Why does it matter?

It was the final non-conference game of the season and UNC won convincingly. The Tar Heels head into conference play with three losses for the first time since the 2014-2015 season. 

When do they play next?

UNC faces Pittsburgh on the road on Saturday at noon to begin ACC play.

@christrenkle2

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