BROOKLYN, N.Y. — In a battle between two of the most historic programs in men's college basketball, No. 11 North Carolina and No. 22 UCLA enter halftime tied at 38. Here are two things to note about the game so far.
1. Brice Johnson
Shortly after picking up his only foul of the first half, senior forward Brice Johnson subbed out with 16:44 left in the first half. He remained on the bench for the abut eight minutes before returning to the game with 8:07 left until halftime.
The Tar Heels trailed the Bruins 28-19 when Johnson reentered the game. But behind a 13-point outburst by Johnson, UNC gained momentum and outscored UCLA 19-10 the rest of the way.
2. 3-point shooting
Much of the Bruins' success in the first half came from behind the arc, where they made six of their 10 shots.
UCLA was led by junior guard Isaac Hamilton, who went 4-for-5 from 3-point distance to finish the half with a team-best 12 points.
After senior guard Marcus Paige made a 3-pointer on UNC's first possession of the game, the Tar Heels missed their next 10 shots from behind the arc. North Carolina is currently 1-for-11 (9.1 percent) on 3-pointers.
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