The North Carolina men’s basketball team (6-4, 1-0 ACC) defeated La Salle (6-5, 0-0 Atlantic 10), 93-67, on Saturday afternoon in the Dean E. Smith Center after a week-long break of competition.
UNC earned a much-needed blowout win over La Salle after dropping three of its last four games. North Carolina’s dominant victory over the Explorers came from unselfish team-first efforts, highlighted by 22 assists and only 11 turnovers. Junior forward Cade Tyson led the Tar Heels in scoring with a season-high 23 points to accompany five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
“I kind of just let it fly today,” Tyson said. “I think extra work has been really good for me, both in the weight room and on the court. I think those help my confidence a little bit, and the confidence to just let it go and hope for the best.”
Graduate guard RJ Davis continued his early-season shooting slump to open the game. The All-American went 0-4 through the first two minutes of play. La Salle, on the other hand, started with an 8-2 advantage behind five early points from Demetrius Lilley.
After a steal by graduate forward Jae’lyn Withers, Davis finally found the bottom of the mesh at 15:23 with a layup but failed to complete the and-1 play. The fouls in the paint continued to add up for La Salle — which tallied seven after just over eight minutes — but the Tar Heels only connected on 5-12 free throws in the first half.
North Carolina’s defense made the Explorers’ offense go stagnant, causing La Salle to go without a field goal for four-and-a-half minutes. By the media timeout at 11:02, UNC had amassed a 20-2 run.
After junior guard Seth Trimble weaved a pass inside to set up a dunk by Cade Tyson, the Tar Heels found their largest lead so far of 19 points with 13 seconds remaining in the first frame. Tyson led UNC with nine points in 10 minutes in the half to go along with three rebounds and two steals.
North Carolina held La Salle scoreless from the field through the last three minutes leading to halftime until Deuce Jones connected on a contested midrange shot as the buzzer sounded. The Tar Heels went to the locker room riding a 42-25 halftime advantage.
UNC only shot 3-13 from the 3-point land in the first half, but North Carolina’s defense forced the Explorers to shoot only 32 percent from the field. The Tar Heels hit 50% of their attempts.
