William & Mary drilled 16 3-pointers, but North Carolina held off the Tribe 80-72 in the first round of the NIT tournament.
The Tar Heels dominated in the paint, as senior Deon Thompson piled up 20 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Freshman John Henson added nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Tribe quickly erased a 10-point halftime deficit and held a lead late in the second half, but UNC came through down the stretch.
With the win, North Carolina advances to play No. 1 seed Mississippi State in the second round.
