COLUMBUS, OH — Coby White did not wait long to announce his arrival in the NCAA Tournament. The first-year guard hit a 3-pointer on UNC’s first possession for the opening points of the game. Three minutes later, No. 1 seed North Carolina had yet to score again and No. 16 seed Iona led, 6-3, off two 3-pointers. The Tar Heels responded with a 5-0 run courtesy of another White 3-pointer and a Cameron Johnson jump shot.
The Gaels responded with another 3-pointer, their third of the game, to take a 9-8 lead at the first media timeout.
Coming out of the media timeout, Iona continued to rely on 3-point shots to get the job done. The Gaels hit two more shots from deep to take a 15-10 lead with 12:30 remaining in the first half.
UNC responded with a 8-0 run as White converted a layup, Kenny Williams and Nassir Little each connected on their first baskets of the game and Luke Maye added two free throws to give North Carolina a 18-15 lead.
North Carolina has given Iona plenty of open looks from 3-point range, and the Gaels are knocking them down. It’s allowed Iona to stay in the game. At a timeout with 5:56 to play, the game was tied at 27-27.
Less than a minute later, Iona had knocked down two more 3-pointers to take a 33-27 advantage.
At the final media timeout of the half, the Gaels maintained a six-point advantage thanks to a 9-18 clip from 3-point range. Meanwhile, UNC managed to hit just three of 11 shots from deep.
A quiet first half from North Carolina’s veterans — Maye, Williams and Johnson — has hurt the Tar Heels’ cause. With only one 20 minutes left to extend their collegiate careers, the trio will need to increase their production after the break.
On the strength of its 10-21 shooting from 3-point range, Iona took a 38-33 lead over North Carolina into the break.
