UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Hold Off Portland for Another Win
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team faced off against Portland in their first game of the Phil Knight Invitational on Thursday afternoon. The Tar Heels got out to an early 18-8 lead after a Caleb Love three. Caleb Love hit his first four shots and set the tone early in the game. The Heels were also getting after it on defense and their intensity early allowed them to get out in transition for some easy baskets. After Carolina went on their early run, Portland responded with a run of their own. Portland is a scrappy team with shooters, who play fundamentally sound.
Offensively, Portland plays at their own pace and makes sure they get whatever shot they want every time down the court. Their unique style of play gave North Carolina some problems and allowed Portland to keep the game close in the first half. Portland had 12 assists on 13 made baskets and they shot 52% from the field, and 43 % from three.
Defensively, Portland started to double-team Armando Bacot and Pete Nance in the post, which bothered the Tar Heels offensively. UNC did finally adjust and was able to move the ball around and kick it out to shooters. Both teams shot over 50% from the field and over 40% from three, but UNC led for the entire half. However, Portland would not go away and would only be down two going into halftime.
In the second half, it was a back-and-forth game with several lead changes. Portland hit 3 threes in the first three minutes of the second half as North Carolina struggled to defend the three-point line. Portland even took the lead and led by as much as 5 as they gave the Heels everything they could handle. The Tar Heels battled back and the game remained close until the end. Caleb Love and Pete Nance carried the load offensively for the Tar Heels as both players had over 20 points.
However, defensively, UNC couldn’t stop the Portland offense. Portland was great with their ball movement and player movement and got quality shots on every possession. Down the stretch, North Carolina made some big shots and clutch free throws and finally made enough stops to extend a lead to put the feisty Portland team away. Leaky Black, Pete Nance, RJ Davis, and Caleb were all huge down the stretch with their play on both ends of the floor to lead the Tar Heels to their fifth victory.
UNC Game Stats
1st 2nd TOT
#1 North Carolina 40 49 89
Portland 38 43 81
North Carolina
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN |
| P. Nance | 28 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 35 |
| C. Love | 23 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 38 |
| R. Davis | 13 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 32 |
| L. Black | 11 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 34 |
| A. Bacot | 11 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 33 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN |
| D. Dunn | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| S. Trimble | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| T. Nickel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| J. McKoy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| P. Johnson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Portland
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN | |
| M. Wood | 21 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 34 | |
| T. Robertson | 13 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 37 | |
| K. Sjolund | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | |
| J. St. Pierre | 8 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 24 | |
| J. Perry | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 28 | |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN | |
| A. Applewhite | 14 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 15 | |
| C. Nduka | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 25 | |
| J. Gorosito | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | |
| V. Vucinic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
UNC Bright Spots
Peter Nance had 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Caleb Love had 23 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals.
RJ Davis had 13 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds.
Armando Bacot had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Leaky Black had 11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels have to do a better job defending the three-point line. Their screen defense has to be much better. They need to do a better job of fighting over screens and running the opponent off the line.
The Tar Heels also need to be better at the free-throw line. They shot 61% from the line which is totally unacceptable.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels improve to 5-0 on the season. It was another tough matchup for North Carolina. Portland was an opponent that made the Heels work for everything and played them hard to the end. This will be good for them going forward because they are playing against different styles and finding different ways to win even when they are not playing their best basketball. They have yet to play a game where everyone is playing well so they are getting different contributions from different players every game. Once they put it all together, they will become a great team. The Tar Heels play next on November 25 against the winner of Villanova and Iowa State.