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University of North Carolina Athletics
Friday, November 17
Chapel Hill
8 PM
North Carolina
77
vs
52
UC Riverside
Seth Trimble tied his career high with 11 points.
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Men's Basketball Dominates UC Riverside, 77-52
November 17, 2023 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— No. 20 North Carolina went on a 28-5 run in the first half and a 19-0 run to start the second, cruising to a 77-52 win over UC Riverside on Friday night at the Smith Center. UNC's defense limited the Highlanders to just 28.1 percent shooting in the second half and 30.6 percent in the game.
After leading by as many 21 points early, the Tar Heels missed nine of their final 10 shots in the first half to allow UCR to pull within 37-26 at the break. Carolina then put things away quickly by holding the Highlanders scoreless for over nine minutes while starting the second half with a 19-0 blitz.
Armando Bacot led Carolina with 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting, adding seven rebounds and his second career three-point bucket.
Jalen Washington tallied 11 points and five rebounds, while Harrison Ingram had 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Seth Trimble tied his career high with 11 points.
Carolina improved to 3-0 this season with the win, while UC Riverside fell to 1-3. The Tar Heels won their 15th consecutive home game against non-conference opponents.
UNC had 34 bench points to 19 by the Highlanders and held advantages of 34-20 in points in the paint and 16-2 in second-chance points. UC Riverside out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 38-37.
How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina went on a 28-5 run to take a 30-9 lead midway through the half.
• UCR missed 15 of its first 19 shot attempts, finally breaking double digits in points with 8:23 remaining in the half.
• The Highlanders shot 10 for 30 (.333) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The previous low by a UNC opponent in a half this season was .343 by Lehigh in the first half on Nov. 12.
• UCR's 26 first-half points were a season-low by a Tar Heel opponent (the previous low was 29 by Radford in the second half on Nov. 6).
• UNC dominated inside in the first half, holding a 22-10 advantage in points in the paint.
• The Tar Heels led by as many as 21 in the first half at 30-9. UNC missed 9 of its last 10 shots and led by just 11, 37-26, at the break.
Second Half
• UNC started the second half on a 19-0 run to open its biggest lead to that point at 56-26.
• UC Riverside missed its first 13 shots of the second half and scored its first second-half points over nine minutes into the half at the 10:33 mark.
• The Tar Heels held Highlanders to 26 second-half points, the lowest total by an opponent this season (previous was 29 in the second half by Radford on Nov. 6).
• UC Riverside shot just 28.1 percent in the second half, the worst percentage by an opponent in a half this season.
Game Notes
• The Tar Heels have won 15 consecutive games in the Smith Center against non-ACC opponents.
• The Tar Heels also improved to 466-86 all-time in the Smith Center, including 226-18 against non-conference opponents.
• Bacot posted the 29th 20-point game of his career and his 102nd career double-figure scoring effort.
• Washington hit his first two career three-pointers in the game. He finished with 11 points and five rebounds, his second career double-figure scoring game (his career high was 13 at Virginia last season).
• UNC's 52 points allowed were its fewest in two seasons (since the 2022 NCAA Elite Eight against Saint Peter's, which scored 49 in a loss to the Tar Heels).
• The game was the first-ever meeting between Carolina and the Highlanders.
• Carolina wore blue uniforms instead of its customary home whites. UCR requested to wear white in the game, and UNC agreed.
Up Next
UNC will return to action on Wednesday against Northern Iowa in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The Tar Heels will play six of their next eight games away from Chapel Hill.
Follow Tar Heel basketball on X at @UNC_Basketball and @UNCMBBstats and on Instagram at UNC_Basketball.
After leading by as many 21 points early, the Tar Heels missed nine of their final 10 shots in the first half to allow UCR to pull within 37-26 at the break. Carolina then put things away quickly by holding the Highlanders scoreless for over nine minutes while starting the second half with a 19-0 blitz.
Armando Bacot led Carolina with 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting, adding seven rebounds and his second career three-point bucket.
Jalen Washington tallied 11 points and five rebounds, while Harrison Ingram had 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Seth Trimble tied his career high with 11 points.
Carolina improved to 3-0 this season with the win, while UC Riverside fell to 1-3. The Tar Heels won their 15th consecutive home game against non-conference opponents.
UNC had 34 bench points to 19 by the Highlanders and held advantages of 34-20 in points in the paint and 16-2 in second-chance points. UC Riverside out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 38-37.
How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina went on a 28-5 run to take a 30-9 lead midway through the half.
• UCR missed 15 of its first 19 shot attempts, finally breaking double digits in points with 8:23 remaining in the half.
• The Highlanders shot 10 for 30 (.333) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The previous low by a UNC opponent in a half this season was .343 by Lehigh in the first half on Nov. 12.
• UCR's 26 first-half points were a season-low by a Tar Heel opponent (the previous low was 29 by Radford in the second half on Nov. 6).
• UNC dominated inside in the first half, holding a 22-10 advantage in points in the paint.
• The Tar Heels led by as many as 21 in the first half at 30-9. UNC missed 9 of its last 10 shots and led by just 11, 37-26, at the break.
Second Half
• UNC started the second half on a 19-0 run to open its biggest lead to that point at 56-26.
• UC Riverside missed its first 13 shots of the second half and scored its first second-half points over nine minutes into the half at the 10:33 mark.
• The Tar Heels held Highlanders to 26 second-half points, the lowest total by an opponent this season (previous was 29 in the second half by Radford on Nov. 6).
• UC Riverside shot just 28.1 percent in the second half, the worst percentage by an opponent in a half this season.
Game Notes
• The Tar Heels have won 15 consecutive games in the Smith Center against non-ACC opponents.
• The Tar Heels also improved to 466-86 all-time in the Smith Center, including 226-18 against non-conference opponents.
• Bacot posted the 29th 20-point game of his career and his 102nd career double-figure scoring effort.
• Washington hit his first two career three-pointers in the game. He finished with 11 points and five rebounds, his second career double-figure scoring game (his career high was 13 at Virginia last season).
• UNC's 52 points allowed were its fewest in two seasons (since the 2022 NCAA Elite Eight against Saint Peter's, which scored 49 in a loss to the Tar Heels).
• The game was the first-ever meeting between Carolina and the Highlanders.
• Carolina wore blue uniforms instead of its customary home whites. UCR requested to wear white in the game, and UNC agreed.
Up Next
UNC will return to action on Wednesday against Northern Iowa in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The Tar Heels will play six of their next eight games away from Chapel Hill.
Follow Tar Heel basketball on X at @UNC_Basketball and @UNCMBBstats and on Instagram at UNC_Basketball.
Players Mentioned
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