Sixth-year senior Sam Waardenburg scored 17 of his career-high 21 points in a nearly flawless first half, leading host Miami to an 85-57 win over North Carolina in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Tuesday night.
Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong matched his season high with 25 points, including 15 in the first half. He shot 9 of 18 from the floor, including 5 of 8 on three-pointers. He added eight rebounds and also had a four-point play.
Armando Bacot, who had 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, left the game with five minutes remaining due to injury and did not return for UNC (12-5, 4-2). He landed on his tailbone while committing a foul.
Miami (14-4, 6-1), which is in first place in the ACC, has won 10 of its past 11 games. Miami ended a five-game losing streak in its series with North Carolina, pounding UNC for its largest margin of victory ever against the Tar Heels.
The Hurricanes, who led by as many as 33 points, also got 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds from Kameron McGusty.
Waardenburg made 7 of 9 shots, including 5 of 6 on three-pointers.
It was the first time Miami had three 20-point scorers in a regular-season game since 2006.
Miami led 49-22 in an impressive first half as Miami shot 58.1 percent from the floor, including 8-for-14 on three-pointers (57.1 percent). North Carolina shot just 22.6 percent, including 4-for-17 on three-pointers (23.5 percent).
It was UNC’s biggest first-half deficit since 2010 against Duke.
North Carolina led 3-0 and 5-2, but a 14-0 Hurricanes run extinguished the Heels’ flame. Bacot was held to 1-for-3 shooting and three points in a difficult first half that included being charged with two offensive fouls.
Waardenburg didn’t miss a shot until there were 67 seconds left in the first half, and that was on a block.
Before that, he swished four 3-pointers and faked two other shots from distance only to drive in for dunks.
The game was never in doubt in the second half.
–Field Level Media
