Garcia, Love lift North Carolina in 80-63 win over Elon
UNC's Caleb Love breaks out sweet windmill jam
Caleb Love gets free in transition and finishes in style for North Carolina.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- — Dawson Garcia and Caleb Love each scored 22 points and North Carolina pulled away and posted an 80-63 win over Elon on Saturday.
The Tar Heels went to the free throw line 35 times, knocking down 27 (77%) to overcome a 23-for-53 (39%) shooting night from the field.
Elon got off to a strong start and Darius Burford's dunk with 7:24 left in the first half pulled the Phoenix even at 24. North Carolina responded with a quick 7-0 run and closed the half with a 37-29 advantage. Armando Bacot hit two free throws, then followed them with a steal and dunk to spark a second-half run. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Love pushed the lead to 54-37 seven minutes into the second half.
Garcia hit 8 of 10 from the free throw line and grabbed seven rebounds for the Tar Heels (7-2). Love knocked down 4 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc and collected three steals. R.J. Davis added 11 points.
North Carolina held a 43-28 advantage on the boards, pulling down 33 defensive rebounds and holding Elon (2-8) to just two offensive rebounds.
Hunter McIntosh paced Elon, hitting 4 of 9 from distance and finishing with 16 points. Darius Burford added 12 points and three assists. Elon shot 43% (25 of 58) from the field, but was just 5 of 9 from the free-throw line.
The loss was the seventh straight for the Phoenix.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Bert Smith
- Jeremy Mosier
- Trey Styons
2024-25 Coastal Athletic Association Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Hofstra | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Northeastern | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| UNC Wilmington | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Campbell | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Drexel | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| North Carolina A&T | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Towson | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| William & Mary | 0-0 | - | 3-3 |
| Delaware | 0-0 | - | 2-2 |
| Elon | 0-0 | - | 2-2 |
| Hampton | 0-0 | - | 2-3 |
| Stony Brook | 0-0 | - | 2-3 |
| Monmouth | 0-0 | - | 0-6 |
2024-25 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Stanford | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| NC State | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Notre Dame | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Wake Forest | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| California | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Clemson | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Florida State | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| SMU | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Boston College | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Duke | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Syracuse | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Virginia | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Louisville | 0-0 | - | 2-1 |
| North Carolina | 0-0 | - | 2-1 |
| Miami | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Virginia Tech | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Georgia Tech | 0-0 | - | 2-2 |
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