CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina got off to an extremely slow start Thursday against Wake Forest, but the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinal round game turned into a back-and-forth affair.
In the end, the Tar Heels (22-12) prevailed over the Demon Deacons (21-11), winning 68-59 to move on to face Duke in the semifinals Friday night.
RJ Davis scored 23 to lead the Tar Heels. Ven-Allen Lubin recorded a double-double for the second game in a row, notching 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Demon Deacons’ Hunter Sallis had 25 points to lead all scorers.
UNC started the game with very little offense, managing just three points until Seth Trimble sank two free throws at the 12:04 mark of the first half to make it 14-4 Wake Forest. The Tar Heels eventually tied it at 22-22 with 3:12 left to go in the half and held a 33-31 lead at the break.
In the second half, Carolina came out hot, extending the lead to 42-32 by the 17:37 mark. But Sallis, Cameron Hildreth and company battled back, taking a 46-45 lead on a Hildreth jumper with 11:55 to go in the game.
The two teams went cold from the field before UNC began to pull away late in the game. A tip-in by Lubin to make it 65-59 with less than a minute and a half left — which ended up being the last field goal by either team — effectively sealed the game for the Tar Heels.
The Tar Heels’ win sets up a second matchup with Duke in less than a week. The Blue Devils also had to come from behind to win their game, ultimately beating Georgia Tech 78-70.
But it came at a high price, as national player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg went down with an ankle injury late in the first half and never re-entered the game. Though X-rays were negative, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said it’s highly unlikely Flagg will play in the next round.