Skip to main content

Caleb Wilson leads No. 14 North Carolina over USC Upstate, 80-62

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 14 North Carolina to an 80-62 win against USC Upstate on Saturday.

Wilson shot 6 of 7 from the floor and didn’t miss a field-goal attempt until there was less than a minute to play. The Tar Heels (9-1) also got a boost from Jonathan Powell’s 17 points, which tied a career high. Luka Bogavac added 15 points and five assists, and Henri Veesaar scored 14.

Learic Davis paced the Spartans (6-6) with 14 points before fouling out late. Mason Bendinger had 13 points.

USC Upstate briefly led by a point midway through the first half after an 11-4 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Tyler Smith. UNC responded with a 17-5 run, a stretch highlighted by Wilson catching a fast break lob from Veesaar before slamming it through the hoop with both hands.

The Tar Heels never trailed again from there and went on to lead by 20 points in the second half. UNC had 20 assists on 28 made baskets and shot above 50% from the floor for the fifth time this season.

The Spartans rebounding prowess kept them competitive against the Tar Heels. USC Upstate entered this game ranking 12th nationally in total defensive rebounds with 308 on the season and held the Tar Heels to just six offensive rebounds, which is their second lowest mark of the season.

Wilson, a 6-foot-10 freshman, continues to lead the Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding this season. He came into this contest averaging 19.3 points and 10.6 boards per game. The last freshman to lead UNC in both statistics in a single season was Tyler Hansbrough in the 2005-06 campaign.

Up next

North Carolina: Hosts ETSU on Tuesday.

USC Upstate: Visits South Carolina State on Tuesday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up  here. AP college basketball:   https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll  and  https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Hawkeyes are set to play Vanderbilt in a November women’s basketball game in Sioux City, Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday. The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997. The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
Read Next Story