No. 3 Iowa stopped No. 16 North Carolina 93-80 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday despite a spirited second half performance by the Tar Heels.
Carolina (3-2) trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, but stormed back to start the second half.
The Heels kept Iowa's talented big man Luka Garza is check early. He struggled against the size and the multiple defenders that Carolina could put on him shooting just 2-of-9 in the first half.
When the Heels pulled within 55-54 on a Caleb Love 3-pointer, he took over for the Hawkeyes. Garza scored the next 10 consecutive points for Iowa and finished with 16 ponts and 14 rebounds. His newfound offensive burst couldn't shake the Heels from coming back.
R.J. Davis scored seven straight for Carolina including free throws with 9:52 left for its first lead in the game at 66-65. It would be short-lived.
After both teams exchanged baskets, Iowa's Jordan Bohannon made a 3-pointer to ignite the run to put the game away. The Hawkeyes (4-0) reeled off 14 straight points to turn a one-point deficit into an 81-68 lead. Bohannon scored a game-high 24 points for the Hawkeyes.
Carolina was hurt as personal fouls sidelined Day'Ron Sharpe, Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks for stretches when each got their fourth foul.
The Hawkeyes finished with 17 3-pointers, which was the most by a Carolina opponent this season. Only three Iowa players accounted for the made 3s: Bohannon, C.J. Fredrick and Joe Wieskamp.
Turnovers, a recurring theme for Carolina this season, helped Iowa jump out to a double-digit halftime lead. The Hawkeyes scored 11 points on nine UNC turnovers in the first half. But more than allowing some easy baskets for Iowa, it prevented Carolina from taking advantage of its strength, which is offensive rebounding.
The Heels, which ranked fifth nationally in offensive rebound percentage, according to Kenpom.com, scored just one basket off five offensive rebounds in the first half. For a UNC team still trying to find consistent perimeter shooting, that was a big reason why scoring seemed to be in short supply early.
Garza, the returning Big Ten Player of the Year, never quite made the offensive impact that his 34-point average suggested. He simply didn't have to.
The Hawkeyes benefited from Carolina defenders staying concerned about helping the post and their perimeter shooters took advantage. Wieskamp and Fredrick made four 3-pointers each and Jordan Bohannon added three himself for 11 made 3s in the first half.
It led to a 16-point deficit and Carolina never led in the first half.
Garrison Brooks, who led UNC with 17 points, made three straight baskets and the Heels pulled within 37-29. They had a chance to make it six when Caleb Love missed a floater and missed his follow shot.
Fredrick answered as the Hawkeyes seemed to all game — with a 3. And his final 3 of the first half came just before the buzzer to give Iowa a 43-31 lead into the locker room.
