By R.L. Bynum
FORT MYERS, Fla. — North Carolina’s reserves have to play better for the Tar Heels to reach their potential, and Derek Dixon’s night was an example of how the bench can tilt games.
Dixon was -10 during an extended first-half stretch when St. Bonaventure erased an 11-point deficit and went ahead by three. But Carolina increased its lead during a 7½-minute second-half stretch with Dixon at point guard after Kyan Evans picked up his fourth foul.
Evans’ resurgence and better floor play after halftime were one reason Carolina coasted to an 85–70 win Tuesday at a packed Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
“Derek, when Kyan got into foul trouble, played some of the best minutes he’s played all year,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “I thought he had that three in the corner. I felt like his drives, he was under control, was able to make plays for himself, for his teammates.”
It was another turnover-turnaround game as Carolina (6–0) went from 11 first-half turnovers to only two in the second half.
“I felt like we handled the physicality much better in the second half,” Davis said. “Around the rim, we were dunking everything. If we didn’t finish strong or dunk, we got fouled and got to the free-throw line.”
There are no issues with the cohesive starting five for Carolina, and that was the case again.
The incredibly connected duo of Caleb Wilson (18 points and 12 rebounds) and Henri Veesaar (24 points and 13 rebounds, both career highs) each registered double-doubles.
Dixon accounted for seven of UNC’s 13 bench points.
In the first half, the length of 6–9 St. Bonaventure center Andrew Osasuyi created havoc, and the girth of 6–7 forward Frank Mitchell (18 points, 7 rebounds) meant some challenges inside for Wilson and Veesaar.
“He’s a great player,” Veesaar said of Mitchell. “He’s good at rebounding the ball, and I feel like he got in a great position. So, just trying to box him out and make him score over me.”
Veesaar said the key was adjusting to the Bonnies’ toughness.
“I thought the first half, we came out good, and then we had a little slump where they were getting offensive rebounds and we were letting them push us,” said Veesaar, who tied for the team-high with three assists and led the team with two steals. “But I think the biggest thing is just hitting first rather than getting hit.”
When Evans (11 points) relieved Dixon with 4½ minutes left, he kept the good tempo going. He scored a team-high three 3-pointers, his first game with multiple threes since the win over Kansas.
“I feel like I’ve always been comfortable shooting,” said Evans, who was 2 of 11 from outside the arc in the previous three games. “I missed a few shots these last few games, but I knew I was going to get back to where shots are going in. They’re always gonna fall. Just gotta keep shooting.”
It was with Evans running the offense that UNC built the big first-half lead, and the offense was generating good shots.
“He’s our best passer, facilitator, pitching the ball ahead in transition,” Davis said.
Playing more under control after halftime, the Tar Heels seized control of the game.
Davis said in the first six games, it’s been important for his team to “make the easy play and take care of the basketball and just get shots. When we do that, it gives us an opportunity to get great shots.”
Wilson’s dunk started a 15–2 run, and a corner Bogavac 3-pointer ended it to give UNC a 10-point lead in the first four minutes.
After the Bonnies pulled within five, Wilson scored six points on an 8–2 run for an 11-point edge.
St. Bonaventure took the two-point lead on an Andrew Osasuyi dunk with 5:52 left in the first half to cap a 20–7 run fueled by the Bonnies’ pressure and defensive lapses with Dixon at point guard. The Bonnies got two Daniel Egbuniwe 3-pointers and made 7 of 9 shots during the run.
Izzo says UNC will be measuring stick for No. 11 Spartans.
With Evans back in, he scored five points, including a 3-pointer, on a 7–2 run to give UNC a three-point lead. UNC, with 11 first-half turnovers, could only manage a 35–33 halftime lead despite the Bonnies making only 1 of their last 12 shots.
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UNC surged to a nine-point lead with a 12–5 run in the first three minutes of the second half as its length took its toll.
UNC surged to a nine-point lead with a 12–5 run in the first three minutes of the second half as its length took its toll on the Bonnies. Bogavac capped it with a no-look pass through a couple of defenders for Veesaar for a dunk.
Carolina stretched its lead to 15 as two Dixon free throws ended a 9–0 run at the 12:40 mark, even without a field goal for 2½ minutes. Veesaar’s jumper ended a 15–6 run at the 6:48 mark as UNC’s lead ballooned to 20.
Darryl Simmons II led St. Bonaventure (5–1) with 22 points and four 3-pointers.
UNC gets a day off before challenging No. 11 Michigan State (6–0) at 4:30 Thursday (Fox).
Notes
— Carolina leads the all-time series with Michigan State 13–6, but the Spartans won the last meeting this week a year ago, 94–91 in overtime at the Maui Invitational. This will be the 13th city in which the programs have met. In neutral-site games, UNC has a 9–3 edge.
— Carolina is 6–0 for the first time since going 7–0 in 2016–17.
— UNC was 21 of 27 from the line while the Bonnies attempted six of their eight free throws in the final minutes (making five).
— Veesaar has three double-doubles in six games after never pulling down double-digit rebounds before this season. His nine field goals were a season high.
— Wilson became the first UNC freshman with four consecutive double-doubles. Armando Bacot (twice), Antawn Jamison and Mike O’Koren had three in a row.
— Wilson got a bloody nose in the second half and had to get cotton stuffed up his left nostril after getting attention from athletic trainer Doug Halverson.
— Wilson is the first Tar Heel to go 10 of 10 at the free-throw line since RJ Davis against Arkansas on Nov. 24, 2023, in The Bahamas.
— UNC has won both all-time meetings against St. Bonaventure, with the other one a 91–62 NCAA Sweet 16 victory at Reynolds Coliseum in 1968.
— The Tar Heels trailed twice in the first half for a total of 35 seconds. It was the first time in three games that UNC trailed.
— The Carolina team arrived in Fort Myers on Sunday.
— The arena is the home of Florida SouthWestern State College, a junior college. The Buccaneers have drawn a total of 1,143 fans for two home games this season, but 3,500 fans packed the arena for both Tuesday games.
No. 16 UNC 85, St. Bonaventure 70
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
UNC statistics
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. 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. 11 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 | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 9 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photos courtesy of Intersport
