UNC men's basketball defeats Yale 70-67, behind career high 20 points from Robinson

The UNC men’s basketball team (8-5, 1-1 ACC) defeated Yale (10-3), 70-67, in the Tar Heels’ final non-conference tilt of the season Monday. 

What happened?

The contest began like many others have for the UNC this season — with the Tar Heels failing to close out on three-point shooters in time. Just a minute and a half into the game, the Bulldogs had already jacked up three triples. 

UNC’s lackluster defense, coupled with its inability to score, led to plenty of good looks from deep for Yale. The Bulldogs’ 6-foot-9 senior forward Jordan Brunner knocked down the first three-pointer of the game from the top of the arc at the 17:40 mark of the opening half. 

The Tar Heels didn’t see a shot from the floor go in until almost six minutes into the game, when junior forward Garrison Brooks sunk a jump-hook on the right block at the 14:25 mark to cut the Bulldog lead to seven.  

From there, senior guard Brandon Robinson sparked a UNC run that helped the Tar Heels climb out the early hole. With 13:45 to play until halftime, Robinson sliced through the Yale defense from the left elbow to score a right-handed layup and earn and convert an And-1 to cut the lead to four. 

The Tar Heels rattled off nine unanswered points to make the score 13-11 in their favor at the 10:49 mark of the first half but at halftime, only clung onto a four-point advantage, 32-28. 

The opening minutes of the second half also featured much of the same for this season’s Tar Heels. Yale scored the first seven points of the half, and UNC didn’t find the bottom of the net until sophomore guard Leaky Black buried a three-pointer to tie the game. 

While Yale hit a quick layup, the Bulldogs didn’t hit a field goal for the next eight minutes, allowing the Tar Heels to build a double-digit cushion.

When Robinson drilled a three-pointer with 6:19 to play, UNC’s lead was pushed to 12 points. With 2:09 remaining, it was Robinson again, hitting his career-high fifth three-pointer of the game. Brunner came back to hit a three and make it a one possession game.

The Tar Heels milked the clock on offense before first-year point guard Jeremiah Francis drove to the paint for an And-1 layup. The first-year guard nailed the free throw that followed before hitting three free throws in the final 19 seconds to secure the victory. 

Who stood out?

Francis, making his first career start, was aggressive every time he was in the game, driving to the basket to create shots for other scorers.

With 4:44 left to go until halftime, Francis drove and dished to Brooks for an easy layup.

Francis also hit the shot of the game: an And-1 layup that pushed the Tar Heel advantage to six points with 19 seconds left. 

But the scoring load fell on Robinson’s shoulders, and he delivered. The veteran guard finished with a career-high 20 points and had timely three-pointers, shooting 5-12 from deep, to help UNC sustain its second-half lead. 

When was it decided?

The contest wasn’t decided until there were only 20 seconds left. After Brunner buried a three-pointer at the other end to cut UNC’s lead to three points, Francis had an answer. 

The first-year guard barreled to the paint to hit an And-1 layup and sink the free throw that followed. Though Francis fouled Bulldogs guard Matthue Cotton the next possession, the Tar Heels fended off the final seconds of Yales’ comeback attempt. 

Why does it matter?

Though it’s still early in the season, a loss to the Bulldogs would’ve been a brutal blow to the Tar Heels’ resume come NCAA Tournament time. With the conference slate starting on Saturday at home against Georgia Tech, UNC needed this win. 

It wasn’t pretty, but the Tar Heels hope they can build momentum from the victory heading into games against much tougher opponents.  

The win gave head coach Roy Williams his 879th win of his career, tying his mentor Dean Smith for fourth all-time in NCAA men's basketball history. 

When do they play next?

UNC will return to the Smith Center to take on Georgia Tech on Saturday when it starts its conference slate. 

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