Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
North Carolina 84, NC-Wilmington 51
When: 5:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Officials: # Sean Casady, # Tim Nestor, # Jeff Nicholas
Attendance: 16923


No. 19 North Carolina 84, North Carolina-Wilmington 51: James Michael McAdoo finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds as the host Tar Heels closed out their nonconference schedule with a convincing victory over the Seahawks.

Marcus Paige scored 15 points while Leslie McDonald and Brice Johnson added 14 apiece for North Carolina (10-3), which joined Kentucky and Kansas as the only programs to reach 2,100 wins. The Tar Heels, who have won three straight by double figures since a home loss to Texas, will begin ACC play at Wake Forest on Sunday.

Cedrick Williams led the way with 18 points and nine boards for UNC-Wilmington (6-9), which has lost four straight. The Seahawks shot 31.1 percent from the field and 17.6 percent beyond the arc – the fifth time they have shot at least that poorly from the 3-point line this season.

North Carolina led wire-to-wire and established an 18-9 advantage with under eight minutes left in the first half behind six straight points from McAdoo and McDonald after UNC-Wilmington had pulled within three. Johnson’s three-point play with 1:36 to go before the break increased the bulge to 15 before the Seahawks scored seven straight to close the half.

The Tar Heels came out of the break with a 16-4 burst to stretch the margin to 47-27 on a jumper by Paige and began to pull away following back-to-back high-flying dunks from J.P. Tokoto and McAdoo. Johnson scored seven consecutive points late as the lead swelled to as much as 33 on four occasions, including the final margin.

GAME NOTEBOOK: North Carolina shot 62.9 percent from the field in the second half. … UNC-Wilmington coach Buzz Peterson fell to 0-5 all-time against his alma mater. … The Tar Heels improved to 3-0 all-time against the Seahawks and have won those contests by an average of 23 points.

Top Game Performances
 
NC-Wilmington   North Carolina
Cedrick Williams 18 Scoring James Michael McAdoo 23
Ben Eblen 4 Assists Nate Britt 6
Cedrick Williams 9 Rebounds James Michael McAdoo 10
Chris Dixon 5 Free Throws Made Marcus Paige 4
Chris Dixon 2 Steals James Michael McAdoo 3
Ben Eblen 1 Blocks Brice Johnson 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
NC-Wilmington 51 31.1 3-17 10-13 9 27 3 11 17
North Carolina 84 52.3 3-9 13-17 20 45 3 12 16