CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina (11-4, 3-1 ACC) went up by as many as 25 points on Virginia (9-6, 3-32 ACC) in the second half as the Tar Heels cruised to a 74-58 victory at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina Saturday afternoon (Jan. 8). With the win, the North Carolina snapped the Cavaliers’ seven-game winning streak over UNC, which marked the longest streak in series history since UVA won the first eight games between the teams from 1911-16.
Reece Beekman (13), Armaan Franklin (12) and Jayden Gardner (10) scored in double figures for the Cavaliers. Beekman, the ACC’s steals leader, finished the day with three steals. North Carolina’s Armando Bacot posted a game-high 29 points and pulled down 21 rebounds. Bacot’s double-double is the first the Cavaliers have surrendered this season, and his 21 boards mark the first 20-rebound performance by a UVA opponent since former Wake Forest standout and Naismith Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan grabbed 23 rebounds on Feb. 22, 1997.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia led 7-6 at the 15:25 mark in the first half, but the UNC did not allow the Cavaliers to regain the lead for the remainder of Saturday’s contest. North Carolina held a 31-25 advantage at the intermission, although neither team was able to formulate a big run in the first 20 minutes of play. Five unanswered points were the most consecutive points scored by both teams in the first half. UVA and UNC combined to turn the ball over a dozen times in the opening half, including seven giveaways by the Cavaliers. Beekman led UVA in scoring at the break with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 1-for-2 from deep.
UNC hit the first two field goals of the second half on a made 3-pointer and a dunk. The Tar Heels utilized a pair of 10-0 runs to eventually secure their largest lead of the game, 72-47, with 3:29 remaining. The Cavaliers closed out Saturday’s contest by scoring the final nine points of the game. Franklin added eight of his 12 total points in the second half.
UP NEXT
Virginia hosts Virginia Tech (8-6, 0-3 ACC) in a Commonwealth Clash on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 9 p.m. on ESPN2.