University of North Carolina Athletics
The Demon Deacons had no answers for Cameron Johnson on Saturday.
Photo by: Robert Crawford
GoHeels Exclusive: Fresh Memory Motivates Johnson
February 17, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
WINSTON-SALEM — Cameron Johnson stepped off the bus at LJVM Coliseum, the memory of his last visit still fresh on his mind.
In his final season with Pittsburgh in 2017, Johnson played his first game at Wake Forest, during which he helped the Panthers build a 36-17 lead. They then relaxed, though. And the Demon Deacons rallied for a 63-59 win, tying their largest comeback in school history.
Since then, Johnson said he'd rarely discussed that loss. But Saturday's return to the site of that defeat rekindled some emotions.
"We kind of chilled, thought we had them beat," he said. "Some guys got in foul trouble and next thing you know, we lose by (four). So, I kind of had that in my mind arriving at the arena, and I was like, 'I don't want to lose here again.'"
He ensured that didn't happen.
In leading North Carolina to a 95-57 victory, its largest ever in an ACC road game, Johnson scored a season-high 27 points. He went 10-for-13 from the field and 7-for-10 from behind the arc. His seven 3-pointers were a career high and surpassed the record for the most made by any Tar Heel against Wake Forest, a distinction previously held by Joseph Forte.
Johnson's 20-point effort marked his seventh of the season and 15th of his career. After the game, Demon Deacons coach Danny Manning said he was unsure how his team allowed a scorer of Johnson's caliber to get as many open shots as he did.
"We lost Cam Johnson far too many times and when we got to him, we had low hands," Manning said. "And at his height, he's able to elevate up and knock down shots. They did a great job of finding him, and we didn't stay attached to him the way we should have."
That was the case from the start.
Johnson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on his first shot. He then made four more, including three from behind the arc, to finish the first half with 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Behind him, the Tar Heels led by scores of 18-0, 25-3 and 35-7 before halftime. They ultimately entered the break up 49-21.
In the second half, Johnson continued his torrid scoring, tallying eight quick points. He didn't miss his first shot until the 15:02 mark of the period, snapping an 8-for-8 start.
"I felt like I really had to focus on those (first-half 3-pointers)," said Johnson when asked about when he started feeling as if he had the hot hand. "But when I came out at halftime and I was shooting threes, I was like, 'Oh, this is a little easier than some other days have been.' It just kind of happens during the course of the game, but I got good looks from my teammates."
Each of them kept feeding him the ball or screening for him. But that became even more of a priority with under eight minutes left.
After making his seventh shot from behind the arc, Johnson only needed one more to tie the school record for most 3-pointers in a game, a feat that's been accomplished six times. Aware of that, Roy Williams ran a few plays for Johnson. And no chance seemed better than with 5:22 left.
With the shot clock winding down, Johnson attempted a deep 3-pointer near the UNC bench. The ball tantalizingly bounced off the front of the rim, the top of the backboard and then the rim again. But it fell into the hands of Wake Forest's Sharone Wright Jr.
Fourteen seconds later, Johnson subbed out for the final time.
"The last one I shot, I felt like that one should've fallen," said Johnson, who's now shooting 47.9 percent (67-for-140) on 3-pointers this season, the third-best percentage in program history. "It kind of teetered on the rim a little bit. So, I'll live with that at the end of the day. I felt like I got the one up to get to eight, and it didn't go. So, it just wasn't meant for me today."
But pretty much everything else was, beginning from the moment he stepped off the bus at LJVM Coliseum until he left, having handed the Demon Deacons their worst loss at the facility.
WINSTON-SALEM — Cameron Johnson stepped off the bus at LJVM Coliseum, the memory of his last visit still fresh on his mind.
In his final season with Pittsburgh in 2017, Johnson played his first game at Wake Forest, during which he helped the Panthers build a 36-17 lead. They then relaxed, though. And the Demon Deacons rallied for a 63-59 win, tying their largest comeback in school history.
Since then, Johnson said he'd rarely discussed that loss. But Saturday's return to the site of that defeat rekindled some emotions.
"We kind of chilled, thought we had them beat," he said. "Some guys got in foul trouble and next thing you know, we lose by (four). So, I kind of had that in my mind arriving at the arena, and I was like, 'I don't want to lose here again.'"
He ensured that didn't happen.
In leading North Carolina to a 95-57 victory, its largest ever in an ACC road game, Johnson scored a season-high 27 points. He went 10-for-13 from the field and 7-for-10 from behind the arc. His seven 3-pointers were a career high and surpassed the record for the most made by any Tar Heel against Wake Forest, a distinction previously held by Joseph Forte.
Johnson's 20-point effort marked his seventh of the season and 15th of his career. After the game, Demon Deacons coach Danny Manning said he was unsure how his team allowed a scorer of Johnson's caliber to get as many open shots as he did.
"We lost Cam Johnson far too many times and when we got to him, we had low hands," Manning said. "And at his height, he's able to elevate up and knock down shots. They did a great job of finding him, and we didn't stay attached to him the way we should have."
That was the case from the start.
Johnson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on his first shot. He then made four more, including three from behind the arc, to finish the first half with 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Behind him, the Tar Heels led by scores of 18-0, 25-3 and 35-7 before halftime. They ultimately entered the break up 49-21.
In the second half, Johnson continued his torrid scoring, tallying eight quick points. He didn't miss his first shot until the 15:02 mark of the period, snapping an 8-for-8 start.
"I felt like I really had to focus on those (first-half 3-pointers)," said Johnson when asked about when he started feeling as if he had the hot hand. "But when I came out at halftime and I was shooting threes, I was like, 'Oh, this is a little easier than some other days have been.' It just kind of happens during the course of the game, but I got good looks from my teammates."
Each of them kept feeding him the ball or screening for him. But that became even more of a priority with under eight minutes left.
After making his seventh shot from behind the arc, Johnson only needed one more to tie the school record for most 3-pointers in a game, a feat that's been accomplished six times. Aware of that, Roy Williams ran a few plays for Johnson. And no chance seemed better than with 5:22 left.
With the shot clock winding down, Johnson attempted a deep 3-pointer near the UNC bench. The ball tantalizingly bounced off the front of the rim, the top of the backboard and then the rim again. But it fell into the hands of Wake Forest's Sharone Wright Jr.
Fourteen seconds later, Johnson subbed out for the final time.
"The last one I shot, I felt like that one should've fallen," said Johnson, who's now shooting 47.9 percent (67-for-140) on 3-pointers this season, the third-best percentage in program history. "It kind of teetered on the rim a little bit. So, I'll live with that at the end of the day. I felt like I got the one up to get to eight, and it didn't go. So, it just wasn't meant for me today."
But pretty much everything else was, beginning from the moment he stepped off the bus at LJVM Coliseum until he left, having handed the Demon Deacons their worst loss at the facility.
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