CHAPEL HILL, N.C. _ There were only 30 seconds left before the start of the second half, by the time North Carolina's basketball team finally emerged from the locker room late Wednesday night.
UNC seemed to be playing with a lack of energy against UNC-Wilmington. The Seahawks trailed at halftime by only nine points.
Normally, UNC would return to the floor with few minutes left on the clock to warm up. But after the sluggish start to the first half, UNC coach Roy Williams spent a little extra time talking to his team.
Apparently it worked. UNC overpowered UNCW in the second half and won 97-69.
UNC graduate senior Cam Johnson led all scorers with 21 points. He was 7-for-14 from the floor and 3-for-8 from behind the 3-point line. UNC freshman wing Nassir Little added 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
This was the first regular season game that Williams had coached against his former assistant C.B. McGrath, who is in his second season as the head coach of UNC-Wilmington (4-6).
McGrath was an assistant coach at UNC from 2003 to 2017. He also coached under Williams at Kansas from 1999 to 2003.
The Tar Heels (7-2), which had lost two of their last three games before Wednesday night's win, have nine days to prepare before it plays No. 1 Gonzaga at home on Dec. 15. It will be its toughest test of the season.
Freshman point guard Coby White, who missed Wednesday's game with a sore ankle, is expected to return by then.
Early in the game, UNC struggled offensively without White, who had led UNC in scoring the last three games. UNC turned the ball over nine times in the first half, and easy shots were hard to come by.
The Tar Heels had trouble shaking the Seahawks until about midway through the second half. UNC's lead was only seven points with about 17 minutes left to play, before junior point guard Seventh Woods went on a 5-0 run of his own to put the Tar Heels up 53-41.
Woods started Wednesday in replace of White. Woods struggled in the first half, missing his first two shots and he turned the ball over twice. But he showed more aggression after halftime, and finished with 7 points and 3 assists in 24 minutes.
Woods' mini run, sparked a 16-0 run by the Tar Heels. They were able to push their lead to 23 points with 12:46 left in the game and never looked back, perhaps remembering whatever was said at halftime.
