UNC Basketball posts big second half rally to beat Virginia

UNC picked up a big 85-80 road win against 14th ranked Virginia on Saturday with a big second half rally after a slow first half. Carolina actually started the game much better than Virginia before the tables turned and UVA got hot. The Tar Heels trailed by 16 points with less than two minutes to go in the first half before going on a run to cut the halftime deficit to just nine. They out-scored the Cavaliers 51-37 in the second half for the win.

Jarin Stevenson was an absolute force in the second half for UNC. He scored all 17 of his points as the Heels rallied to take the lead. Carolina ran into a four minute scoring drought late in the second half where they briefly gave up the lead with just under four minutes to go, but they were able to recover and retake the lead for good on a Stevenson and-one. Caleb Wilson was UNC’s leading scorer with another 20 point effort. Seth Trimble had 16 points, including two big free throws with Carolina only leading by one point late. Luka Bogavac scored 14 points off the bench and Derek Dixon scored 11 points and dished out seven assists with just one turnover in his third straight start at point guard. Jonathan Powell was the team’s leading rebounder with seven off the bench.

Carolina was absolutely rocked on the boards, getting out-rebounded 44-28. Virginia grabbed 16 offensive boards and scored 17 points off their misses. They feasted down low with Henri Veesaar struggling on both sides of the ball, ending the game with 40 points in the paint. The Tar Heels’ saving grace was that Virginia turned the ball over 11 times which led directly to 19 points on the other end. Carolina turned it over just four times all game and just once in the second half.

The Heels were just so much better offensively in the second 20 minutes. They shot just 35% from the field in the first half before shooting a blistering 63% in the second half. They held Virginia to just 17% from three in the second half after they shot 40% from beyond the arc in the first half. The team showed a lot of fight in picking themselves up off the mat after their struggles in the first half and again after they lost the lead late. Multiple players made big plays late in order to secure the win. It can’t be overstated how important Stevenson was with Veesaar struggling. Add in the fact that Charlottesville has been a cursed place to play for Carolina over the years and this one feels extra sweet.

UNC has a week off before their next game, which a date with Georgia Tech in Atlanta next Saturday.