Dawson Garcia scored 20 points and North Carolina used a big second half to defeat visiting Furman 74-61 on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Armando Bacot’s 14 points and 12 rebounds were also crucial as the Tar Heels (8-2) won their fifth game in a row. Brady Manek provided 13 points off the bench and Caleb Love had 10 points.
North Carolina began the second half on a 15-4 run, sparked by Bacot’s eight points, to pull away from a 39-39 halftime tie. Furman never made much of a run after the burst from the Tar Heels.
Alex Hunter poured 17 of his 21 points in the first half for Furman (7-4), which stayed within range for stretches because of 3-point shooting. The Paladins made 10 shots from 3-point range compared to five for North Carolina.
Jalen Slawson supplied 12 points for Furman, but those were not enough to pull off a second victory against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent after topping Louisville last month.
Garcia grabbed 10 rebounds as part of North Carolina’s 44-25 advantage on the boards. Garcia and Bacot both shot 7-for-12 from the field as part of the team’s 50-percent rate.
North Carolina hasn’t allowed more than 63 points in any of its last five games after putting an emphasis on defense following losses on back-to-back days to nationally ranked Purdue and Tennessee.
At halftime, Hunter had 17 points and Garcia 16 in what was shaping up as a scoring duel between the two.
The Tar Heels improved to 24-2 against Furman, though the teams hadn’t met in 35 years. The teams hadn’t faced off in Chapel Hill since 1972, as the previous 14 games were played as neutral-site matchups in Charlotte.
North Carolina is 6-0 in home games, but its next game comes Saturday against No. 4 UCLA in Las Vegas.
–Field Level Media
