Charlottesville, Virginia In a difficult first half, No. 10 North Carolina’s two best players didn’t accomplish much, so they needed an alternative to step up against Virginia.
Let’s introduce Cormac Ryan.
With a 54-44 victory on Saturday, he scored 18 points, 15 of which came in the first half, on six 3-pointers, and the Tar Heels advanced to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Hubert Davis, the Tar Heels’ coach, stated, “You’re going to have to knock down some shots against Virginia.” And he was the only player who could regularly make 3-point shots. And from the perspective of him creating them, that was really important to us. However, I believe that his forcing them extended their defence.
After leading the Tar Heels in scoring for the first time, Ryan—who had made four 3-pointers in his previous two games—opened things up inside after the break.
Hubert Davis stated, “Cormac’s ability to shoot the basketball allowed us to get some baskets around in the paint.”
The Tar Heels (21-6, 13-3) got into the top place on their own after No. 8 Duke fell at Wake Forest earlier in the day. RJ Davis scored 12 points, all of which came in the second half, and Armando Bacot had 10 points and 13 rebounds. With four regular season games remaining, Hubert Davis said his team’s mentality won’t alter despite the victory, which also put an end to North Carolina’s eight-game losing run at John Paul Jones Arena.
“There’s still more to say and do,” he declared.
For a 15-minute period in the first half, the Cavaliers (20-8, 11-6) missed 22 of their 23 field goal attempts, allowing North Carolina to jump ahead 16-4. Jordan Minor led the Cavaliers with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The fact that Bacot was in foul trouble and sitting on the bench made it much more difficult for Virginia.
It was a difficult day for the offence. Yes, there has been a recurring theme in the last few games in that regard, coach Tony Bennett admitted, praising his defence for keeping the game tight. “I believe there were a few critical breakdowns in the defence. And in the final moments, we really put the pressure on our defence. The defence kept us in there long enough, whether we had the upper hand or lost a player.
After the first minute, North Carolina never trailed again. At halftime, the score was only 26-16. In the second half, Virginia got as close as six points three times and as close as 47-42 with just over two minutes remaining. However, with 1:50 remaining, Minor missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Harrison Ingram found himself free underneath for an easy lay-in to make the score 49-42.
Elijah Gertrude’s shot pulled Virginia back to within five, but Ingram’s free throw, the Tar Heels’ offensive rebound, and a pair of baskets from RJ Davis sealed the victory.
For the first time in a week, the Tar Heels were on the court following their 96-81 triumph over Virginia Tech. The Hokies defeated the Cavaliers 75-41 the next evening.
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