Armando Bacot racked up 19 points and 23 rebounds and No. 1 North Carolina used a big first half to defeat visiting James Madison 80-64 on Sunday afternoon at Chapel Hill, N.C.
RJ Davis poured in 21 points to help cap a season-opening four-game homestand for the Tar Heels (4-0). Pete Nance had 11 points and Leaky Black pulled in 12 rebounds.
Takal Molson scored 19 points for James Madison (4-1), which endured a horrid shooting stretch early in the game. The Dukes averaged 105.2 points coming in, but they didn’t reach the 50-point mark until there was 7:18 left.
Mezie Offurum scored 12 points, Julien Wooden had 11 and Vado Morse added 10 for James Madison, which shot 34.8 percent from the field and 25.9 percent (7 of 27) from 3-point range.
North Carolina led by as many as 21 points in the first half. James Madison began the second half on a 12-2 run to close within 47-38. North Carolina went almost five minutes without a field goal.
North Carolina finished with a 50-34 rebounding advantage.
In the first half, the Dukes made five 3-pointers before hitting their first two-point basket more than 12 minutes into the game.
The Tar Heels heated up early by making 7 of 16 shots from 3-point range in the first half. A 10-0 run helped North Carolina establish control.
North Carolina shot 51.7 percent from the field in the first half on the way to a 45-26 lead. The Dukes were held to 29.4-percent shooting in the half.
Bacot had 11 points and 11 rebounds by the break. The rebounding number was already a season-high mark.
North Carolina is 4-0 all-time against the Dukes, though the teams hadn’t met since the 1989 Maui Invitational.
–Field Level Media
