The Tar Heels used a 24-10 run in the final minutes to pull away from the Terriers.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No. 8 North Carolina built a double-digit lead, lost a double-digit lead and pulled away late against a quality Wofford squad to secure a season-opening 78-67 road victory on Tuesday.
All-American forward Luke Maye led all scorers with 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting and grabbed six rebounds, while sophomore forward Garrison Brooks scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Senior wing Cameron Johnson added 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (5-of-7 3FG) and eight rebounds.
UNC led 33-26 at halftime and scored on its first three baskets of the second half to take a 39-26 lead. Wofford answered with a 20-7 run, fueled by back-to-back three-pointers by Fletcher Magee, to tie the game at 46-46 with 10:40 to play.
The Tar Heels put the game away with a 24-10 run in the closing minutes.
UNC shot 50 percent from the field while holding the Terriers to 38.1 percent shooting.
“It was a heck of a game,” UNC coach Roy Williams said postgame. “We feel very fortunate. It’s a great college atmosphere. … That club, as you remember — if you don’t, I definitely remember what happened to us last year — they spanked us in our own building, but I feel really good about what our guys did.”
Freshman Initiation
Tuesday marked the start of the Tar Heel careers of Coby White, Nassir Little and Leaky Black. It was a mixed bag of quality plays and freshman miscues as all three saw early playing time.
White started at point guard and scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting with three assists and three turnovers. Little did a little bit of everything, scoring seven points, dishing out three assists and blocking two shots in 18 minutes. Black logged eight minutes of action with a rebound and a turnover to his credit.
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