NCAA College Basketball Box Scores

National Basketball Association

BOXSCORE | RECAP

North Carolina 103, Texas Southern 64

When: 4:00 PM ET, Friday, March 17, 2017
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Officials: # Paul Faia, # Mike Reed, # Lee Jones
Attendance: 14179

By The Sports Xchange

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- North Carolina found the ideal way to go through a first-round game of the NCAA Tournament.

It came with a revived shooting touch from swingman Justin Jackson.

Jackson, who struggled with perimeter shooting the past few weeks, broke out by scoring 19 of his 21 points in the first half as North Carolina bullied Texas Southern in a 103-64 romp Friday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

"Overall, I feel all the work I put in after the ACC tournament and the preparation (paid off)," Jackson said.

The rest of the Tar Heels joined in, but they particularly liked what they saw from Jackson.

"The last couple of games were rough for him, but I think he's back, obviously," forward Kennedy Meeks said.

Jackson made five of eight shots from 3-point range, though he missed his lone two second-half attempts in the South Regional matchup.

Jackson was named the ACC Player of the Year, but in the previous four games he was a combined 7 for 31 on 3-point attempts.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams said Jackson's performance was spot on to begin NCAA Tournament play.

"The thing is, he has had a great year, not just a really good year, he has had a great year," Williams said. "And he put a little bit more pressure (on himself), thought he had to try to do more. I told him all he had to be was be Justin, and I think that's what he was today."

Jackson has 95 3-point baskets this season, tying the school record.

Isaiah Hicks added 17 points, Kennedy Meeks had 13 points, Tony Bradley supplied 12 points and Luke Maye and Nate Britt each chipped in 10 points for top-seeded North Carolina (28-7).

Next for the Tar Heels is Sunday's second-round game against eighth-seeded Arkansas (26-9), which eliminated ninth-seeded Seton Hall by 77-71 in the site's opening game.

Kevin Scott scored 19 points and Demontrae Jefferson had 13 points for No. 16 seed Texas Southern (23-12), which remained winless in NCAA Tournament play.

"That team we played today was unbelievable," Texas Southern coach Mike Davis said.

North Carolina went 2-2 in its last four games entering the tournament, so Friday's outing should serve as a good confidence booster. The Tar Heels reached the 100-point mark in NCAA Tournament play for the eighth time.

And a potential scare in the second half seemed subdued after starting point guard Joel Berry II limped off with an injured right ankle and was taken out of view for treatment. But he returned to play briefly, wiping away some the initial anxiety among the pro-North Carolina crowd.

With the outcome secured, the Tar Heels used their last five players off the bench for most of the final four minutes.

Davis said the Tigers were overwhelmed, but the team's rugged non-conference schedule at least made them aware of the type of challenge they faced.

"We play that kind of nonconference schedule for a reason," Davis said. "But if we don't win a game in our nonconference against the big Power 5 teams, it's going to be difficult to compete in those games (here)."

North Carolina took its biggest lead of the first half at 52-27 at the buzzer on Berry's 3-point basket for his only points of the game.

It was a mostly dominant half for the Tar Heels, who grabbed 30 of the 43 rebounds to that juncture. The final rebounding tally was 54-27.

While Jackson was hot from the perimeter, his teammates were a combined 1 for 8 on 3-pointers in the opening half.

Texas Southern made only 30 percent (9 for 30) of its first-half shots from the field.

NOTES: This was the first-ever meeting between the teams. ... North Carolina improved to 3-0 against members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. ... This was North Carolina's 163rd NCAA Tournament game, but its first in the state of South Carolina. ... North Carolina holds a No. 1 regional seed for the 16th time, the most for any men's team. ... This was Texas Southern's fourth consecutive season in the postseason after last year's NIT appearance. ... The Tigers dropped to 0-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.

Top Game Performances

Texas Southern		North Carolina
Kevin Scott 19	Scoring	Justin Jackson 21
Kevin Scott 3	Assists	Nate Britt 5
Lamont Walker 6	Rebounds	Luke Maye 9
Zach Lofton 5	Free Throws Made	Kennedy Meeks 7
Stephan Bennett 1	Steals	Stilman White 2
Marvin Jones 2	Blocks	Kennedy Meeks 2

Team Stats Summary

Team	Points	FG%	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals	Turnovers
Texas Southern	64	36.7	7-27	13-16	9	24	3	6	13
North Carolina	103	50.7	8-22	19-26	18	50	4	6	10