National Basketball Association
North Carolina 83, Notre Dame 76
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 5, 2017
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Officials:
# Clarence Armstrong, # Bill Covington, # Jamie Luckie
Attendance:
17051
By The Sports Xchange
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- With numerous offensive options, No. 12 North Carolina can keep opponents guessing, but junior guard Joel Berry often is a clutch player regardless of the circumstances.
Berry made a key jumper to stem No. 20 Notre Dame's late-game momentum as the Tar Heels secured an 83-76 victory Sunday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum in a contest relocated from UNC's campus due to a major water main break.
"We just wanted to stay aggressive," Berry said "We were more active."
Justin Jackson's 16 points led six players in double figures for the Tar Heels, who went on an 8-0 run after Notre Dame pulled within 75-73. That's when Berry, who largely struggled by shooting 3 of 10 from the field, struck.
"Berry's 15-footer was a sign of a big-time, veteran guard," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said.
North Carolina regained momentum and held the Irish scoreless for about 3 1/2 minutes to pull away.
The Atlantic Coast Conference game was moved about 50 miles from North Carolina's campus, which has been closed since Friday afternoon because of a state of emergency in Chapel Hill after the water main break. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday night.
"This one here is the most weird thing I've ever seen in my life," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said of the venue change.
Isaiah Hicks pumped in 14 points, Berry and Tony Bradley each had 12 points, and Kennedy Meeks and Kenny Williams both tallied 11 points for first-place North Carolina (21-4, 9-2 ACC).
"We didn't really have to rely on one person," Hicks said.
V.J. Beachem's 20 points and Matt Farrell's 18 points paced Notre Dame (17-7, 6-5), which lost its fourth game in a row. Bonzie Colson had 17 points.
Six of Notre Dame's losses have come to nationally ranked opponents.
It nearly turned into a wild finish when the Irish came charging back in front of a crowd of 17,051.
"What a good atmosphere and a heckuva game," Brey said.
It was a strange situation for both teams, with the Tar Heels moving off campus and spending Friday night in a Durham hotel and then Saturday night in Greensboro. Notre Dame changed its travel plans, arriving Saturday and practicing at UNC Greensboro.
On the court, the Tar Heels were rolling at times even as it took time for Berry, who was scoreless in the first half, to start clicking. He missed his first three 3-point attempts, but his 3 gave the Tar Heels a 57-44 lead with slightly more than 14 minutes to play.
Colson's jumper made it 70-65 and his free throw trimmed what had been a 15-point gap to 70-66 with 6:11 left.
Meeks scored at the other end, but on the next possession he fouled out on an offensive foul with 5:14 to play. Bradley responded with a three-point play, but the Irish scored on three consecutive possessions and pulled within 75-73 before Berry's jumper.
"All of a sudden, they made a bunch of big plays," Coach Williams said of the Irish. "It got to be a one-possession game, but we had the ball."
The coach said he liked the ball in Berry's hands, who also delivered a game-high seven assists.
Jackson dunked off a Notre Dame turnover amid a stretch of five empty trips in a row for the Irish.
North Carolina held a 43-34 halftime lead, mostly on the strength of its inside game. Post players Meeks, Hicks and Bradley combined to shoot 10-for-15 in the opening half.
"Playing small was the only way we were going to have a chance," Brey said.
The Tar Heels had a 24-12 first-half rebounding advantage, but they were hurt by 5-of-11 shooting on free throws. They ended up 17 of 28 on foul shots.
NOTES: This game was a rematch of last March's NCAA East Regional final, which was won by North Carolina in Philadelphia. ... North Carolina improved to 119-33 all-time in games at Greensboro. ... The most recent game for each team at the Greensboro Coliseum came when Notre Dame defeated North Carolina in the 2015 ACC tournament championship game. ... Notre Dame senior F Austin Torres made his first career start. ... Notre Dame is back in action Tuesday night at home against Wake Forest. ... North Carolina plays Thursday night at Duke.
Top Game Performances
| Notre Dame |
|
North Carolina |
|
V.J. Beachem 20 |
Scoring |
Justin Jackson 16 |
|
Steve Vasturia 4 |
Assists |
Joel Berry II 7 |
|
Bonzie Colson 10 |
Rebounds |
Kennedy Meeks 8 |
|
V.J. Beachem 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Joel Berry II 5 |
|
V.J. Beachem 1 |
Steals |
Joel Berry II 3 |
|
Bonzie Colson 3 |
Blocks |
Tony Bradley 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Notre Dame
|
76 |
44.6 |
9-26 |
17-20 |
14 |
22 |
6 |
1 |
9 |
| North Carolina
|
83 |
49.2 |
6-17 |
17-28 |
23 |
38 |
6 |
7 |
11 |
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