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The Daily Tar Heel

North Carolina men's basketball ekes out close 58-47 win over Boston College

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Sophomore guard RJ Davis (4) runs with the ball at the game against Boston College at the Smith Center on Jan. 26, 2022.

On a night where offensive struggles were prevalent for both sides, the North Carolina men’s basketball team (14-6, 6-3 ACC) was able to finish its regular season sweep against Boston College (8-11, 3-6 ACC) beating the Eagles, 58-47.    

What happened?

The Tar Heels got off to a rough start, shooting 4-13 from the field and getting out-rebounded in the first eight minutes of action. North Carolina could've been down by more, but five Boston College turnovers kept them in the game, down 13-12 with 11:59 left to play in the first half. 

After the media timeout, the Tar Heels got rolling, pulling ahead by eight in less than four minutes behind the offensive jolt provided by sophomore guard Kerwin Walton’s six points off the bench. North Carolina held a 21-13 lead with 7:54 to play in the first, but the Eagles were able to hang in  late and hold off the Tar Heel run after the break. 

The Eagles outscored North Carolina 18-10 in the last quarter of the first half, but a late 3-pointer from graduate transfer forward Brady Manek helped the Tar Heels sneak into the locker room with a narrow 33-31 lead. 

After the half, the score was relatively steady through the first few minutes, with North Carolina adding two to its lead to head into the first media timeout up 37-33 with 15:46 left to play. The score remained steady after the first break of the second with both teams trading shots to keep the score at 50-47 with 7:00 remaining. 

The Tar Heels were finally able to find some separation late after sophomore guard Caleb Love’s layup sent his team into the Boston College timeout with 3:26 remaining up 54-47. North Carolina was able to add a few more to its lead after knocking down some late free throws to emerge with an 11-point victory.

Who stood out? 

Love led the scoring effort for North Carolina, finishing with 16 points to go along with two assists and a rebound. Sophomore guard RJ Davis was the only other Tar Heel to finish in double figures, scoring 11 and grabbing six rebounds. 

Junior forward Armando Bacot continued his dominance on the glass finishing with 18 rebounds — seven coming on the offensive end — but the big man struggled from the field, finishing with six points on 1-10 shooting. 

When was it decided?

After a back-and-forth game, the Tar Heels were finally able to pull away late to secure their sixth ACC win of the season. On a night where the shots struggles to fall for both teams, North Carolina was able to do just enough late to hold off the Eagles after beating them handily earlier in the season in Chestnut Hill.

Why does it matter?

On a night where things were not always clicking for the Tar Heels offensively, they were able to fight through their struggles and add another conference win. North Carolina was able to maintain its spot amongst the top of the ACC standings and add another win to its resume as the team concludes its play for the month of January this weekend. 

When do they play next?

North Carolina will be back in the Smith Center on Saturday, Jan. 29 to wrap up its three-game home slate against rival NC State. Tip-off between the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels is scheduled for 2 p.m. 

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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