by Aaron Beard, Associated Press
ASHEVILLE—Leaky Black had a big driving basket at the 1:02 mark followed by a clinching free throw with 5.5 seconds left to help No. 14 North Carolina hold off Stanford 67-63 in Tuesday’s semifinals at the relocated Maui Invitational.
Freshman Caleb Love scored 16 points to lead the Tar Heels (3-0), who did just enough down the stretch to stay unbeaten. UNC shot 50% after halftime and won despite committing 24 turnovers, which led to 22 points for Stanford.
Black finished with 10 points and seven rebounds as one of five players in double figures. He came through with his biggest play when he drove into the paint and scooped in a layup to increase UNC’s lead to 66-63.
Then, after Spencer Jones missed a straightaway 3 for the tie with about 10 seconds left, Black grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He missed the first free throw but hit the second to make it a two-possession lead and all but ensure UNC would advance to the Maui title game.
It also improved the Tar Heels to 13-0 all-time against the Cardinal.
Daejon Davis scored 18 points to lead Stanford (1-1), which shot 39% for the game and made just 5 of 20 3-point tries. Touted freshman Ziaire Williams finished with 10 points.
The game featured a matchup for UNC coach Roy Williams against one of his former players and assistants in Stanford’s Jerod Haase, who beat his mentor while head coach at UAB but had lost the other four meetings.
The tournament is being played in the North Carolina mountains instead of its traditional Hawaii setting due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a home-state game for the Tar Heels in the city where Roy Williams grew up and played in high school, though with fan cutouts in the stands and crowd noise pumped in.
BIG PICTURE
UNC: The Tar Heels had a promising start to the tournament by turning a game-opening 13-0 deficit into a blowout win against UNLV. This time, they found themselves in a close fight to the horn. Unlike many games in last year’s miserable 14-19 season, the Tar Heels showed enough composure to close this one out.
Stanford: Ziaire Williams had a strong start to his college career with 19 points and eight rebounds in Monday’s first-round win against Alabama. Stanford led by eight late in the first half of this one, but the Cardinal shot just 10 of 30 while making 1 of 11 3-pointers after halftime to come up short.
UP NEXT
UNC: The Tar Heels advanced to Wednesday’s championship game to face No. 17 Texas.
Stanford: The Cardinal will face Indiana in Wednesday’s third-place game.
Podcasts/Media
-
Podcast
/ 23 hours agoOutta Pocket with Michael Davis – Fri April 26th 2024
Outta Pocket with Michael Davis Fri Panel: Cody Lachney, Kevin Avery, Desmond Johnson (Producer)...
-
Podcast
/ 2 days agoOutta Pocket with Michael Davis – Thurs April 25th 2024
Hosted by Michael DavisPanel: Mike Mele, Aaron Schneider, Desmond Johnson (Producer) Part of Tobacco...
-
Podcast
/ 2 days agoBleav in Carolina Panthers – The One Before The Draft – Tues April 23rd 2024
Hosted by Tobacco Road Sports Radio’s Desmond Johnson and Panthers all time leading rusher...
-
Podcast
/ 1 week agoOutta Pocket with Michael Davis – Fri April 19th 2024
Hosted by Michael DavisFriday Panel: Austin Summers, Carsen Williams, Desmond Johnson (Producer) Participate live...
WWE
-
Podcast
/ 2 months agoDrop The Mike Podcast – Lodi Interview & Revolution Recap – Weds March 7th 2024
Lodi, former WCW wrestler, joins Drop the Mike this week for a special interview...
-
Podcast
/ 2 months agoDrop the Mike Podcast – Ep 75 – Weds Feb 14th 2024
The slap heard around the world! Join host Michael Davis and John Anthony (from...
-
Podcast
/ 3 months agoDrop The Mike Podcast – Wed Feb 7th 2024
The Rock or Cody Rhodes? Michael Davis is joined by Mike Mele (Mouthing Off...
-
WWE
/ 3 months agoThe Rock vs. Roman Reigns: Dream Match to Reality
On this Friday’s SmackDown, the Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes arrived to make his...
NFL/Carolina Panthers
-
NFL
/ 38 mins agoTrevin Wallace should get development year before inheriting big role with Carolina Panthers
Published by On3 Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and Michigan’s Junior Colson were the first...
-
NFL
/ 39 mins agoCarolina Panthers select Trevin Wallace in third round of 2024 NFL Draft
Published by On3 Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace has found his NFL home. He was...
-
NFL
/ 41 mins agoCarolina Panthers Bolster Offense with Xavier Legette and Jonathan Brooks in 2024 NFL Draft
In a strategic move aimed at fortifying their offensive arsenal, the Carolina Panthers made...
-
NFL
/ 47 mins agoPanthers share why they drafted South Carolina WR Xavier Legette
Published by On3 South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette predicted before the NFL Draft...