Field Level Media
Jan 21, 2019
Freshman guard Coby White finished with 27 points as No. 11 North Carolina rode a 20-0 first-half run in toppling No. 10 Virginia Tech 103-82 on Monday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.
North Carolina made a season-high 16 shots from 3-point range, including 14 of 18 during one stretch. That came after the Tar Heels missed their first 11 long-range attempts. Nassir Little's 23 points off the bench led a strong supporting effort for North Carolina, which included 14 points from Luke Maye, 12 from Garrison Brooks and 10 from Kenny Williams (all in the second half).
North Carolina (15-4, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) holds sole possession of first place in the ACC.
Ahmed Hill scored 20 points, Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each had 19 points, and Justin Robinson added 17 for Virginia Tech (15-3, 4-2), which gave up 20 more points than it had in any other game this season.
It marked the first time the Hokies were ranked for a matchup with North Carolina. The Tar Heels improved to 10-9 under coach Roy Williams when facing a higher-ranked ACC opponent at home.
North Carolina led 45-31 at halftime, boosted by a combined 24 points from White and Brooks along with Virginia Tech's 12 turnovers.
Earlier, Virginia Tech hit a barrage of 3-poiners for a 19-11 lead before the first media timeout.
Brooks scored eight of North Carolina's first 13 points.
The Hokies were 6-for-7 on 3s and held a 22-13 lead about eight minutes into the game. That was a contrast to last week's loss at Virginia, when Virginia Tech had 22 first-half points.
Robinson, though, picked up his third foul on a charge at the 9:52 mark, in the midst of a three-minute field-goal drought for both teams.
Later, White canned consecutive threes to give North Carolina its first lead at 31-29 with 3:52 left in the half. His third 3-pointer of the period made it 39-29, and Brooks' three-point play and Johnson's 3 capped a 20-0 run. Blackshear's tip-in on Virginia Tech's final possession of the half ended the streak and made it 45-31 at the half.
Virginia Tech won the lone meeting last season with the Tar Heels, 80-69.
--Field Level Media