Deon Thompson poured in a career-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds, as 11th-ranked North Carolina used a late surge to beat the Nevada Wolf Pack, 80-73, in a non-conference matchup at the Smith Center.
Tar Heels Avoid Nevada Upset Bid, Williams Win No. 600
Ed Davis added 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Tar Heels (6-1), who gave head coach Roy Williams his 600th career victory. Larry Drew II ended with 12 points and 10 assists while Marcus Ginyard chipped in 10 points for North Carolina, which was coming off a 93-72 win over Gardner-Webb on Monday.
Armon Johnson finished with 20 points for the Wolf Pack (2-3), who were coming off an 85-76 loss to VCU on Friday. Luke Babbitt added 15 points and 11 rebounds while Dario Hunt tallied 12 and nine in defeat.
A Joey Shaw trey put Nevada ahead 64-62 with under 7 1/2 minutes to play, but UNC responded with a 12-3 run. Drew made a pair of three-pointers on the spurt, which Thompson capped with a jumper for a 74-67 margin with 3:39 left.
The Wolf Pack held strong and got within five on a Johnson jumper with 1:55 to go, but UNC sealed the win by making 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch.
Ahead 41-39, the Tar Heels scored the final five points of the first half. Davis made a free throw and a layup to give North Carolina a 46-39 lead at the break.
Jumpers from Thompson and Davis to start the second half extended UNC’s margin to 50-39. The Wolf Pack responded with seven straight points to cut the gap to 50-46 just three minutes into the frame.
Down 56-50 moments later, Nevada ripped off seven consecutive points to go ahead. Johnson bookended the run with a layup and jumper for a 57-56 lead with 12:55 remaining.
Williams was awarded a number 600 jersey after the game...UNC shot 47.1 percent from the floor, while Nevada made 41.3 percent of its shots...North Carolina leads the all-time series with Nevada, 5-0, including an 84-61 romp over the Wolf Pack last season.
See More:
