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University of North Carolina Athletics
Saturday, December 7
Chapel Hill
2 PM
North Carolina
5-4,1-0ACC
68
vs
65
Georgia Tech
4-5,0-1ACC
1
2
F
Georgia Tech
30
35
65
North Carolina
31
37
68
Seth Trimble
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Sluggish Tar Heels Edge Yellow Jackets, 68-65
December 7, 2024 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— Twentieth-ranked North Carolina got 19 points and seven rebounds from Seth Trimble and overcame a poor shooting day, beating Georgia Tech, 68-65, in a sloppy Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams on Saturday in the Smith Center.
UNC got 59 points from its guards and nine from its frontcourt, shooting 5 for 24 from three-point range (20.8 percent) and 39.0 percent overall.
The Tar Heels snapped their three-game losing streak and improved to 5-4 this season, 1-0 in the ACC despite scoring a season-low 68 points. The Yellow Jackets dropped to 4-5, 0-1.
"We're a team that's a little wounded," head coach Hubert Davis told Jones Angell after the game on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "Losing our last three games, close games, the travel...sometimes, you want to play so well and to win so badly, you don't play fast and free. I felt like for a lot of the game, we didn't play that way. But something to celebrate is even when you don't feel as confident out there on the floor, can you still execute, can you still find a way to win. And this group did."
Carolina moved to 58-14 in ACC openers and 64-8 in home ACC openers. UNC is 73-28 all-time against Georgia Tech, including 33-6 in Chapel Hill and 28-5 in the Smith Center.
Trimble hit 5 of 6 shots and 8 of 9 free throws, grabbed a game-high three offensive rebounds and had four steals without a turnover. He has scored in double figures in eight of nine games this season after doing so seven times in his first two seasons, and he seems to have embraced a new leadership role.
"I've been here for three years," he said. "I can tell when guys are playing with confidence, when guys are playing with not confidence, when guys are always thinking about someone on the court. And that's kind of my job now. I'm a vet, I'm a leader, so it's my job to just keep their heads high when things are going bad. It's been me and RJ who really have kind of been the voices and the preachers in this three-game losing streak."
Ian Jackson scored in double figures for the third consecutive contest, finishing with 15 points. He had a season-high 23 points on Wednesday against Alabama and has 52 points in the last three games (17.3 per game).
RJ Davis tallied 16 points and seven boards, shooting 5 for 15 from the floor. He has scored in double figures in all nine games this season.
Lance Terry led all scorers with 22 points for the Yellow Jackets. Baye Ndongo added 19 points and 12 rebounds.
"When I came into the locker room after the game, I told them I was really proud of them," Hubert Davis said. "I think it's very difficult, very hard to win a conference game. I told them before the game, that playing here, playing at this level is hard and difficult, and you have to find the joy of how hard it is to be successful at this level. We didn't play fast and free, but tight and tentative, and my hope is this week before our next game, it comes at the perfect time for us to heal so that we can play the best that we can play."
Carolina's defense limited Tech to 31.3 percent shooting in the game, including 27.6 percent in the second half. UNC committed 18 turnovers and forced 14 Jacket miscues.
How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina missed its first five shots and started 1 for 9 from the floor. Through the first 8:44, Carolina had five turnovers and three baskets.
• After trailing early, the Tar Heels used a 13-0 run that included six consecutive points by Trimble to take a 21-16 with 6:39 left in the half.
• Georgia Tech's 30 points in the first half were the fewest in the first half by a Tar Heel opponent this season. UNC's 31 points were its fewest in any half so far in 2024-25.
• Tech's first-half field goal percentage of 34.3 was the lowest by an opponent in the first half this season and the second lowest by an opponent in any half this season (American shot 14.7% in the second half).
• Trimble led all scorers with 10 first-half points.
• All of Carolina's 31 first-half points were scored by backcourt players.
• UNC had 10 first-half fast break points to zero by the Yellow Jackets.
Second Half
• After starting the first half 0 for 5 from the floor, the Tar Heels shot 3 for 16 in the first eight minutes after halftime.
• In a back-and-forth second half when both teams shot poorly, neither team led by more than five until Carolina took a seven-point lead with 1:11 left.
• Elliot Cadeau hit a big three-pointer with 2:26 to go, giving Carolina a 62-57 lead after Tech had cut the lead to two.
Notes
• Ven-Allen Lubin got his first start as a Tar Heel and had five points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 13.1 seconds remaining.
• Ty Claude was not in uniform for the game due to a corneal abrasion in his right eye suffered in Wednesday's game vs. Alabama.
Up Next
The Tar Heels will have a week off for fall semester final exams before hosting La Salle on Saturday December 14 at 4 p.m. in the Smith Center.
UNC got 59 points from its guards and nine from its frontcourt, shooting 5 for 24 from three-point range (20.8 percent) and 39.0 percent overall.
The Tar Heels snapped their three-game losing streak and improved to 5-4 this season, 1-0 in the ACC despite scoring a season-low 68 points. The Yellow Jackets dropped to 4-5, 0-1.
"We're a team that's a little wounded," head coach Hubert Davis told Jones Angell after the game on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "Losing our last three games, close games, the travel...sometimes, you want to play so well and to win so badly, you don't play fast and free. I felt like for a lot of the game, we didn't play that way. But something to celebrate is even when you don't feel as confident out there on the floor, can you still execute, can you still find a way to win. And this group did."
Carolina moved to 58-14 in ACC openers and 64-8 in home ACC openers. UNC is 73-28 all-time against Georgia Tech, including 33-6 in Chapel Hill and 28-5 in the Smith Center.
Trimble hit 5 of 6 shots and 8 of 9 free throws, grabbed a game-high three offensive rebounds and had four steals without a turnover. He has scored in double figures in eight of nine games this season after doing so seven times in his first two seasons, and he seems to have embraced a new leadership role.
"I've been here for three years," he said. "I can tell when guys are playing with confidence, when guys are playing with not confidence, when guys are always thinking about someone on the court. And that's kind of my job now. I'm a vet, I'm a leader, so it's my job to just keep their heads high when things are going bad. It's been me and RJ who really have kind of been the voices and the preachers in this three-game losing streak."
Ian Jackson scored in double figures for the third consecutive contest, finishing with 15 points. He had a season-high 23 points on Wednesday against Alabama and has 52 points in the last three games (17.3 per game).
RJ Davis tallied 16 points and seven boards, shooting 5 for 15 from the floor. He has scored in double figures in all nine games this season.
Lance Terry led all scorers with 22 points for the Yellow Jackets. Baye Ndongo added 19 points and 12 rebounds.
"When I came into the locker room after the game, I told them I was really proud of them," Hubert Davis said. "I think it's very difficult, very hard to win a conference game. I told them before the game, that playing here, playing at this level is hard and difficult, and you have to find the joy of how hard it is to be successful at this level. We didn't play fast and free, but tight and tentative, and my hope is this week before our next game, it comes at the perfect time for us to heal so that we can play the best that we can play."
Carolina's defense limited Tech to 31.3 percent shooting in the game, including 27.6 percent in the second half. UNC committed 18 turnovers and forced 14 Jacket miscues.
How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina missed its first five shots and started 1 for 9 from the floor. Through the first 8:44, Carolina had five turnovers and three baskets.
• After trailing early, the Tar Heels used a 13-0 run that included six consecutive points by Trimble to take a 21-16 with 6:39 left in the half.
• Georgia Tech's 30 points in the first half were the fewest in the first half by a Tar Heel opponent this season. UNC's 31 points were its fewest in any half so far in 2024-25.
• Tech's first-half field goal percentage of 34.3 was the lowest by an opponent in the first half this season and the second lowest by an opponent in any half this season (American shot 14.7% in the second half).
• Trimble led all scorers with 10 first-half points.
• All of Carolina's 31 first-half points were scored by backcourt players.
• UNC had 10 first-half fast break points to zero by the Yellow Jackets.
Second Half
• After starting the first half 0 for 5 from the floor, the Tar Heels shot 3 for 16 in the first eight minutes after halftime.
• In a back-and-forth second half when both teams shot poorly, neither team led by more than five until Carolina took a seven-point lead with 1:11 left.
• Elliot Cadeau hit a big three-pointer with 2:26 to go, giving Carolina a 62-57 lead after Tech had cut the lead to two.
Notes
• Ven-Allen Lubin got his first start as a Tar Heel and had five points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 13.1 seconds remaining.
• Ty Claude was not in uniform for the game due to a corneal abrasion in his right eye suffered in Wednesday's game vs. Alabama.
Up Next
The Tar Heels will have a week off for fall semester final exams before hosting La Salle on Saturday December 14 at 4 p.m. in the Smith Center.
Team Stats
GaTech
UNC
FG%
.313
.390
3FG%
.296
.208
FT%
.708
.810
RB
37
48
TO
14
18
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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