Bacot has 29 points, 21 rebounds in UNC win over Virginia

Jan 8, 2022, 08:33 pm

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- — Armando Bacot had career highs of 29 points and 21 rebounds to lead North Carolina to a 74-58 win over Virginia on Saturday.

Bacot was 12-of-18 shooting and became only the second Tar Heel to collect 20 rebounds in the Dean E. Smith Center. Sean May did it three times. Bacot, who came into the game second in the nation with 10 double-doubles, posted his seventh in a row.

Brady Manek made five 3-pointers and added 19 points and five assists for the Tar Heels (11-4, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who remained perfect at home this season with eight wins while bouncing back from a 78-73 loss to Notre Dame on Wednesday. Caleb Love had 16 points with four 3-pointers and also had five assists.

Reece Beekman scored 13 points, Armaan Franklin 12 and Jayden Gardner 10 for the Cavaliers (9-6, 3-2), who were coming off ACC road victories over Syracuse and Clemson.

Two Bacot baskets and 3-pointers from Love and Manek put UNC up by double figures for good midway through the second half. A 10-0 run with Manek hitting two more 3-pointers gave the Tar Heels their largest lead — 25 points — with 3 1/2 minutes left.

UNC took the lead for good five minutes into the game on a Bacot bucket but only led by six, 31-25, at halftime.

The teams were close in shooting percentage but UNC was 11 of 25 from the arc while Virginia was 6 of 12. With Bacot leading the way, UNC won the boards 36-28.

UNC was still without Dawson Garcia, who has missed nearly three full games after suffering a concussion early in a win over Boston College last Sunday.

UNC has held opposing teams to 65 points or fewer in its last eight wins. Virginia came in 10th nationally in scoring defense at 57.7.

Virginia is host to Virginia Tech on Wednesday while UNC will be home against Georgia Tech next Saturday.

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