Caleb Wilson put on a dunk show and four of UNC’s five starters finished in double figures as the Tar Heels kept their undefeated record intact with a 73-61 win against Navy on Tuesday night. The game never felt like it was in jeopardy, but also never fully put away either, even though Carolina led by 24 with under five minutes to go. Navy went on 15-0 run with just over a minute to go to make it a 10-point game until a Jarin Stevenson three finally ended the scoreless streak for UNC.
The Tar Heels
had more than double the turnovers that Navy had (13-6), and the story of the game might have been different if the Midshipmen were able to make them pay for that more. As it was, Navy only scored eight points off those giveaways. After shooting 50% from three in the first half, Carolina followed it up with a 3-13 mark in the second half that didn’t help matters. Kyan Evans, in particular, was ice cold from long distance. He finished the game 1-8 from three and just 1-9 overall with three points and six assists.
Getting just ten points from the bench, Carolina’s starters really carried the load in minutes and points. Wilson finished the game leading all scorers with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Even though he found himself in foul trouble, he was able secure another double-double and do it by dunking all over the competition. Wilson also had four steals. Luka Bogavac kept the offense above water in the first half with team-high 12 points, ultimately finishing with 16 points and six boards. Stevenson finished with 11 points and Henri Veesaar had 10 points and seven rebounds.
It was not an offensive clinic by any means, especially considering the competition. Only two players (Derek Dixon and James Brown) even recorded points off the bench. The team continues to start sluggishly before turning it on more in the second half, which is a luxury that won’t hold up against better teams more often than not. The better teams are coming up on the schedule in a hurry.
Carolina heads to Fort Myers for a game against St Bonaventure a week from today.
