By R.L. Bynum

CHAPEL HILL — Jonathan Powell’s scoring got all the attention Saturday night, but his defense also was nearly as impressive.

Powell tied his career high with 17 points and knocked down three 3-pointers in No. 14 North Carolina’s 80–62 win over USC Upstate at the Smith Center.

While his shooting was huge for the Tar Heels, Powell made it clear what matters most to him and he says got the attention of Coach Hubert Davis.

“I think my defense is what really keeps me on the court,” said Powell, who swiped a season-high two steals, his seventh career game with two.

“Obviously, we have a lot of people on the team who can score the ball and put the ball in the hoop,” Powell said. “But I think what helps me earn minutes and earn Coach Davis’ trust is being able to keep my man in front of me and being able to really compete on the offensive end.”

Powell played 24 minutes, 20 seconds, and scored six field goals and three 3-pointers, all three season-highs. His 17 points were the most off the bench for UNC this season, topping Derek Dixon’s 14 points in the victory over Georgetown.

Powell said his approach never changes.

“Really just come with the same mindset and confidence each game of staying ready to go out there and play my game,” said Powell, who scored 17 points twice last season for West Virginia (against N.C. Central on Dec. 10 and Oklahoma State on Jan. 4) and had a season-high before Saturday of nine points against N.C. Central. “I want to do whatever it takes to help my team win, and I’m glad I was able to help with them today.”

His confidence as a shooter was evident, and it gave Carolina the energy it needed it to try to fend off the Spartans. They had cut the lead to eight points when Powell’s corner 3-pointer with 3:53 remaining ignited a run of 12 consecutive UNC points.

“That extended the lead for the remainder of the game,” Davis said. “But he’s also a really physical defender, very competitive, and just has a passion and desire to be a part of this team and this program.”

Powell isn’t shy about putting up a shot from the perimeter.

“All I need is a little bit of room,” Powell said. “My teammates, my coaches, they all believe and trust me to shoot the ball. So, if I got a little bit of room, I’m letting it go.”

It was his 11th career game with at least three 3-pointers, including making five twice last season for West Virginia (the Jan. 4 game against Oklahoma State and March 8 against UCF).

He has a quick release that allows him to get up the shot before a defender closes out on him. Powell said he does a drill in practice with a manager putting a hand in his face to practice putting the ball up quickly.

“Really, just working on that and being consistent with hitting open ones, but also hitting the ones where it’s a defender closing out at you,” Powell said.

Powell is now second on the team in 3-point shooting percentage among the players in the rotation at 35.1%, behind only Henri Veesaar’s 42.9%.

Powell’s energy also stood out.

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“Every time I come on the court, I want to play with the edge, play with the energy,” he said. “I think that’s what keeps that fire under me. So, bringing that for my team, if my team starts out a little slow, or this one is one of those games, I like being one of the guys that come in and bring everybody up to get our energy back going and get a run going.”

Powell knows that everybody has to do their part to get open and take advantage of opportunities, as Caleb Wilson continues to face double-teams.

“Caleb is one heck of a player, and he needs his teammates to be able to step up and hit shots,” Powell said. “So, when he’s getting doubled, it’s just being ready to shoot, and playing with confidence.”

When he’s open, even for a split-second, expect Powell to put it up a shot and for it to flutter through the net.

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UNC season statistics

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Date	Month/day	Time	Opponent/event (current ranks)	TV/ record
	October
24	Friday	L, 78–76	vs. No. 13 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. 14 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. 7 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. 17 Virginia	16–4, 4–3
31	Saturday	2 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	ACCN
	February
2	Monday	7 p.m.	vs. Syracuse	ESPN
7	Saturday	6:30	vs. No. 4 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. 20 Louisville	ESPN
28	Saturday	6:30 or 8:30	vs. Virginia Tech	ESPN or ESPN2
	March
3	Tuesday	7 p.m.	vs. No. 22 Clemson	ESPN or ESPN2
7	Saturday	6:30	at No. 4 Duke	ESPN
10–14	Tues.-Sat.	ACC tournament	Spectrum Center, Charlotte

Photos by Joshua Lawton