CHARLOTTE — In the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, the No. 2 seed North Carolina men’s basketball team jumped out to a 45-35 halftime lead over No. 7 seed Louisville in front of a sea of Carolina blue at the Spectrum Center.
Graduate guard Cameron Johnson led the Tar Heels with 14 points on a blistering 6-8 shooting before the break, while first-year guard Coby White pitched in 12 points and senior forward Luke Maye added eight.
At the under-16 timeout, the Cardinals and Tar Heels were tied at eight, with Dwayne Sutton and Johnson leading the way early for their respective teams. Johnson scored four quick points on a free throw line jumper and a running scoop layup off the glass, while Sutton got his damage done with a wide open layup and a 3-pointer.
Coming out of the timeout, a Kenny Williams steal led to a layup for Coby White, then a Williams offensive rebound led to a Cameron Johnson 3-pointer. A White and-one layup put the Tar Heels up 19-10 with 13:17 to go, just minutes after the teams were tied at eight. White and Johnson combined for 17 of UNC’s first 21 points, shooting 7-9 in that stretch.
Midway through the first half, the Tar Heels led, 28-21. A Garrison Brooks layup stretched UNC’s lead to 10 points before Louisville answered with a 3-pointer.
From there, North Carolina built on its lead as Maye scored twice in the paint and reserve guard Seventh Woods hit two free throws to make it a 34-21 game with 8:32 to go until the break.
A free throw and a pair of Louisville 3-pointers shaved that lead to six, then a tough Jordan Nwora layup and a wide-open 3-pointer cut the Tar Heel advantage to one.
White ended the Cardinals’ 12-0 run with a 3-pointer of his own and Johnson added a jumper to extend the team’s lead back to 39-33.
After a Louisville jumper, UNC ended the half with six straight points: a Johnson layup, a Maye hook shot and White's two free throws.
