LOVE & BACOT LEAD TAR HEELS BY DEMON DEACONS, 80-73

Courtesy GoHeels.com

CHAPEL HILL—Freshman Caleb Love had a season-high 20 points, Armando Bacot scored 14 of his 18 in the second half, and North Carolina beat Wake Forest 80-73 on Wednesday night.

RJ Davis scored 13 points, Garrison Brooks 10, and Leaky Black added eight points, six rebounds and eight assists for North Carolina (9-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Bacot, who made 8 of 10 from the field, hit a jumper to spark a 12-0 run that made it 45-35 and the Tar Heels never again trailed. Wake Forest’s Daivien Williamson and Jalen Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make 53-all with 10 minutes to play, but Bacot answered with a layup and his dunk with 4:45 left gave North Carolina a 10-point lead.

Williamson and Isaiah Mucius each scored a career-high 27 points for Wake Forest (3-6, 0-6). Mucius, who went into to the game shooting 16.7% (4 of 24) from 3-point range, made a career-high seven 3s on 12 attempts.

The first half featured nine lead changes and seven ties before the Demon Deacons took a 33-31 lead into the break. North Carolina shot 55% (17 of 31) from the field, made 15 of 21 from the free-throw line, and scored 26 of its 36 points in the paint after halftime.

Wake Forest, which has lost six in a row, shot 39% overall and committed 20 turnovers.