ELON, N.C. _ When North Carolina took on Wofford on Tuesday, defense was at a premium.
But against Elon on Friday, that wasn't so much the case.
Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the first half. The difference, though, was that UNC had more firepower and ultimately won, 116-67.
UNC graduate forward Cam Johnson, who was on fire early, and freshman forward Nassir Little both led the Tar Heels with 21 points. Freshman guard Coby White had 14 points. Senior forward Luke Maye had eight points.
UNC, which opened its season with two road games, is now 2-0, and will next face Stanford (1-0) in its home opener on Monday.
The lack of defense in the first half seemed to anger UNC coach Roy Williams. After two uncontested layups cut UNC's lead 61-45 with less than a minute left in the first half, Williams stepped onto the floor clenched his fist and yelled at his players. At halftime, Elon was shooting better than 57 percent from the floor.
UNC shot 55.6 percent from the floor, but it had been dominant on the offensive glass. In the first half, the Tar Heels rebounded 70 percent of their misses and had 19 second-chance points. They finished the first half with 63 points, the most points they had scored in a half since January 2016, when they scored 65 points in a half against Florida State.
In the second half, the Tar Heels began to lock down. They started to trap Elon's players, and forced 12 second-half turnovers. The Phoenix scored only 22 points in the second half. The Tar Heels finished the game shooting 52 percent from the floor.
UNC went deep into its bench on Friday. Fifteen Tar Heels' players scored at least one point.
