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BASKETBALL

After Tipping Off Their Atlantic Coast Conference Schedule With Georgia Tech In Atlanta Last Sunday North Carolina Is Returning To Non-Conference Play, Hosting Elon Tonight In Chapel Hill

After tipping off their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with Georgia Tech in Atlanta last Sunday North Carolina is returning to non-conference play, hosting Elon tonight in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina comes into the game with a record of 6-2!

Their most recent game?

A 79-62 win over Georgia Tech!

In North Carolina’s 79-62 win over Georgia Tech RJ Davis scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the second half Sunday afternoon as North Carolina pulled away in the second half to defeat Georgia Tech 79-62 in the ACC opener for both teams.

The game was tied 31-all at halftime, after UNC (6-2) overcame a nine-point deficit behind stingy defense. Georgia Tech (5-3) lost its second straight contest as senior guard Michael Devoe, who entered the game as the nation's leading scorer with a 25-point average, was limited to 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting.

Freshman guard Deebo Coleman scored 13 points for Tech, which also got 13 from senior wingman Khalid Moore.

North Carolina won with balance. Four players finished with double-figure scoring, including Caleb Love with with 17 points and Armando Bacot who pitched in with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Georgia Tech was the better team for much of the first half.

The Yellow Jackets built a nine-point lead on a steal and dunk by Moore with 8:43 remaining, but North Carolina outscored the Jackets 17-8 from there to even the score by halftime.

Devoe scored just six points over the first half as North Carolina made it difficult for him to receive the ball and generally double-teamed him any time he had ball inside of the 3-point line.

“according to an article by Matt Winklejohn of the Associated Press”

Elon comes into the game with a record of 2-7!

Their most recent game?

An 83-77 loss to High Point in Elon North Carolina on Saturday December 4, 2021!

In their 83-77 loss to High Point The first eight minutes of the game were a slugfest, with neither team being able to gain much separation. After High Point jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, Elon battled back on the strength of four-straight free throws from Torrence Watson. UNCG pushed their lead back to four with 13:49 remaining in the opening half, before two more free throws from Watson brought the score to 9-7.
- After the Panthers took an eight-point lead with seven minutes to play in the first half, a quick 6-0 Elon run got the Phoenix back within two. Hunter McIntosh and Hunter Woods were the catalysts for the spurt, as McIntosh dished a pretty assist to Woods who knocked down a corner three, before Woods returned the favor by finding McIntosh for a three in transition. The six quick Phoenix points brought the score to 20-18 with six minutes left until halftime.
- High Point pushed their lead to as much as 14 before the break, but Elon fought back with another 6-0 run to close the half. Watson sparked the spurt with his and-one at the 48 second mark, before McIntosh drained another triple to beat the halftime buzzer. The Phoenix entered the break trailing 40-32.
- Elon came out firing in the second half, opening the final 20 minutes with an early 11-2 run. Darius Burford got things going with a tough layup over a High Point defender, before Watson drilled his first three of the second stanza to bring Elon within eight. After an and-one finish for Burford got the Phoenix within five, Watson culminated the run with his second three in as many attempts to cut the deficit to 46-43.
- With High Point leading 68-61 with 7:32 remaining in the game, a 5-0 Elon run brought the Phoenix within two. Watson scored all five points on the spurt and brought the score to 68-66 with 6:42 to left to play. The Panthers were able to hold the Phoenix off from there to secure the win.

Torrence Watson led the charge for the Phoenix, erupting for a career-high 34 points (25 in the second half), finishing the night 9-of-12 from the field, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. Watson has now scored at least 10 points in four of his last five games and six times overall this season. His 34-point effort is the first 30-point game by an Elon player since McIntosh scored 30 points against Delaware last season.
- Hunter McIntosh chipped in 16 points, five assists and two rebounds in 36 minutes. He has now dished out at least four assists in four consecutive games, including three 12-plus points, four-plus assist outings. Over that four-game stretch, McIntosh has logged a four-to-one assist to turnover ratio (20 assists – five turnovers), while scoring just over 13 points per outing.
- Senior forward and team-captain Chuck Hannah made his return from injury in the contest, finishing the night with a team-high seven rebounds, adding four points and a blocked shot in just under 20 minutes.
- Darius Burford added nine points, five assists and three steals in 35 minutes of action. Burford has now posted at least two steals in three consecutive games.
- Hunter Woods and Zac Ervin combined for 12 points and nine rebounds on the night.
- Elon held a staggering 47-7 advantage in bench points and a 12-9 advantage in threes made.

“according to an article on elonphoenix.com”

Tip off is set for 8:00pm from the Dean E. Smith Center!

The game is going to be televised on the ACC Network!