Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
Sport
Jonathan M. Alexander

North Carolina forces 22 turnovers en route to 108-58 win over Tennessee Tech

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. _ When North Carolina had finally reached 99 points late in its game against Tennessee Tech, its fans began to chant.

"We want biscuits! We want biscuits!" they yelled.

If UNC had scored 100 points in a game, they would all get a free biscuit from Bojangles. A few seconds later, UNC sophomore forward Brandon Huffman dunked and the crowd cheered.

UNC would go on to beat Tennessee Tech, 108-58, Friday night at the Dean Smith Center.

But the noise after Huffman's dunk was the loudest the crowd had cheered all game, because quite frankly, the game was over early.

Coming into its game against No. 7 UNC (4-0), Tennessee Tech (0-4) had lost its first three games, all by double digits. Friday night was no different. The Tar Heels handled the Golden Eagles with ease.

It was the Tar Heels' fourth consecutive win to start the season. Six UNC players scored in double digits.

Senior forward Luke Maye had a game-high 15 points and eight rebounds. He was 6-for-9 from the floor. Graduate wing Cam Johnson, who leads the Tar Heels in scoring (18.3) this season, had 10 points.

Junior point guard Seventh Woods, who came off the bench, had seven points, a career-high eight assists and zero turnovers. Woods' previous career-high was a six-assist game he had on Nov. 15, 2016 against Long Beach State.

UNC senior guard Kenny Williams, who had 10 points, sprained his ankle late in the second half and did not return.

It took a little more than eight minutes on Friday before UNC took its first double-digit lead of the game, 24-14. Tennessee Tech answered with a layup. But 10 seconds later, UNC made it a double-digit game again, and kept it there.

By halftime, the Tar Heels led 50-26.

The onslaught did not stop there. The Tar Heels started the second half on a 17-4 run, extending its lead to 37 points.

The Tar Heels got out to a 13-4 lead in the game's first five minutes. The Golden Eagles turned it over four times in that span, and the Tar Heels made them pay. Tennessee Tech played a 2-3 zone for most of the game, but it did not work. The Tar Heels forced 22 turnovers and scored 22 points off those turnovers.

The Tar Heels had nearly as many bench points (50) as Tennessee Tech did points.

The Tar Heels' next game is Monday at home against St. Francis (Pa.) before its heads to west for the Las Vegas Invitational over Thanksgiving. There it will play Texas and Michigan State or UCLA.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.