By Larry Penkava
CHAPEL HILL — Carolina is fun to watch when they’re running the way Coach Hubert Davis wants them to. The Tar Heels dispatched a pesky American team Friday night, turning a nine-point halftime lead into a certified blowout, with a final score of 107–55.
Jalen Washington and Elliot Cadeau led five UNC players scoring in double figures with 18 points each as the No. 10 Tar Heels scored 64 second-half points to win by 52.
Davis was happy to see Washington show so much emotion on the court in the second half.
“I love to see him emotional,” Davis said, adding that the center has a quiet personality but has been coming out more since his freshman year. “On the court, I want to see him emotional. You’ve got to have emotion, passion, to play [for me].”
The Tar Heels (2–1) took care of business with the overmatched Eagles with intense defense and a fast-breaking offense.
“It’s all tied to defense,” Davis said. “We got stops and rebounds, and we’re pretty good in transition. We had the full commitment of the team with unselfishness, passing ahead to another player. That has huge benefits.”
The first half was a back-and-forth battle with the Eagles taking an 18–13 lead at the 12:26 mark before the Tar Heels’ defense brought them back. A 28–11 run gave them a 41–29 lead with 2:34 until halftime.
Elijah Stephens hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to close the gap but Ven-Allen Lubin’s layup with five seconds remaining gave the Heels a 43-34 lead at halftime.
Cadeau, who finished with eight assists, had 15 points, three steals and four assists against just one turnover in the first half. His turnover came on an early errant pass, but he made up for it on defense, stealing the ball and turning it into a dunk at the other end.
The Tar Heels stretched out the lead during the first couple of minutes of the second half to 49–35 but missed outside shots allowed American to keep it within a dozen by the 15-minute mark.
Cade Tyson finally broke his 3-pointer drought at the 12:43 mark and Seth Trimble matched it 40 seconds later to give UNC a 64–45 lead.
More defense led to fast breaks. RJ Davis sent a nifty pass to Tyson for a layup to make it 70-45 with 10:14 remaining and fans started winding their way out of the Smith Center. But the best was yet to come.
A flurry of action saw Tyson hit another 3-pointer, then a stop at the defensive end resulted in a Washington fast-break slam dunk — and the crowd roared.
Walk-on John Holbrook had the honor of breaking the century mark and Dante Mayo, another non-scholarship player, excited the crowd with a trey.
RJ Davis and Trimble with 13 apiece and Tyson with 11. Drake Powell led the team in rebounding with 11 to go with his seven points and three blocks.
During the postgame interview, Coach Davis commented on the play of several of his players. Concerning Tyson’s shooting, which the transfer had been having trouble with, Davis said he was “happy tonight that he played with confidence.”
Tyson broke UNC’s drought from 3-point range, finishing the game 3 of 7 from outside the arc. But Coach Davis said Tyson is more than a shooter.
“He’s a player and can shoot, defend, and rebound,” Davis said.
Concerning Powell’s game, especially his 11 rebounds, Davis said, “He did stuff we didn’t teach. He’s just starting to scratch the surface. He’s always asking, ‘What can I do better?’ and that’s something coming from a McDonald’s All-American.”
RJ Davis continued to struggle with his outside shot, going 5-of-13 from the floor and 1-for-7 from 3.
“His percentage will even out,” Coach Davis said. “He can really shoot. I told him earlier this week that I can relate to him. My senior year [at UNC], it took me a little while to get my rhythm.”
Meanwhile, he advised RJ to be “a great defensive player. … Take your mind off your shot. It’s not going to take long. I’m ready for him to hit all his shots.” On the other hand, Hubert said RJ’s “leadership in the locker room, his energy and enthusiasm, was key to our having a better second half.”
The Eagles were led by Matt Rogers with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Stephens had 12 points. The 21 points in the second half were the result of only 14.7% shooting, the lowest percentage for a half from a UNC opponent, at least since the 1997–98 season when records were first kept by halves.
NOTES — UNC is off until Friday when it plays at Hawaiʻi at 12:30 a.m. ET (ESPN2) during a quick stop on Oahu on the way to the Maui Invitational, which runs Nov. 25–27. The Rainbow Warriors (3–0), who have home wins over Life Pacific (96–61), San Jose State (80–69) and Pacific (76–66), host Weber State on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET. … The Tar Heels’ Maui opener is at 11:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 25 against Dayton (3–0), which hosts Capital at 7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN+). … Freshmen Ian Jackson and James Brown sat out the game with minor injuries. … American assistant coach Jackie Manuel was a member of the 2005 UNC National Champions. He began his coaching career in 2012–13 on the same staff as Duane Simpkins, American’s head coach. … UNC’s 107 points were the most under Coach Davis and the most since scoring 113 against N.C. State on Feb. 5, 2019. … Carolina’s 52-point margin of victory was the largest in a win since beating UNC Asheville by 68, 116–48, on Nov. 30, 2008. … UNC’s 64 second-half points are the most in a half since 65 in the second half at Florida State on Jan. 4, 2016. … This was the first meeting between UNC and American and the first against a current America East Conference winner since 2012. … The Tar Heels have won 19 consecutive non-conference home games since losing to Marquette on Feb. 24, 2022.
Larry Penkava has been writing for newspapers since 1982. For four years, he has covered UNC sports, particularly the behind-the-scenes stories.
No. 10 UNC 107, American 55
UNC season statistics
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 9 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 23 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
tarheeltribune.com 