Garcia, Love lift North Carolina in 80-63 win over Elon
Caleb Love gets free in transition and finishes in style for North Carolina. (0:21)
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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2021-22 Colonial Athletic Association Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Wilmington | 15-3 | - | 27-9 |
| Towson | 15-3 | - | 25-9 |
| Hofstra | 13-5 | 2 | 21-11 |
| Delaware | 10-8 | 5 | 22-13 |
| Drexel | 10-8 | 5 | 15-14 |
| Charleston | 8-10 | 7 | 17-15 |
| Elon | 7-11 | 8 | 10-22 |
| James Madison | 6-12 | 7.5 | 15-14 |
| William & Mary | 4-14 | 11 | 5-27 |
| Northeastern | 2-16 | 13 | 9-22 |
2021-22 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 16-4 | - | 32-7 |
| North Carolina | 15-5 | 1 | 29-10 |
| Notre Dame | 15-5 | 1 | 24-11 |
| Miami | 14-6 | 2 | 26-11 |
| Wake Forest | 13-7 | 3 | 25-10 |
| Virginia | 12-8 | 4 | 21-14 |
| Virginia Tech | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Florida State | 10-10 | 6 | 17-14 |
| Syracuse | 9-11 | 7 | 16-17 |
| Clemson | 8-12 | 8 | 17-16 |
| Louisville | 6-14 | 10 | 13-19 |
| Boston College | 6-14 | 10 | 13-20 |
| Pittsburgh | 6-14 | 10 | 11-21 |
| Georgia Tech | 5-15 | 11 | 12-20 |
| NC State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |