No. 10 North Carolina overwhelms American 107-55 with 64-point second half
North Carolina regulars guard RJ Davis, left, forward Jae'Lyn Withers (24) and guard Seth Trimble (7) celebrate as one of the reserves scores in the closing moments of the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against American, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Credit: AP/Chris Seward
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Elliot Cadeau and Jalen Washington scored 18 points apiece and No. 10 North Carolina overwhelmed American in the second half for a 107-55 victory Friday night.
Cadeau scored 11 of North Carolina’s first 23 points, and Washington shot 6 for 6 from the field and 6 for 7 on free throws.
RJ Davis and Seth Trimble each scored 13 points, and Cade Tyson added 11 points off the bench as the Tar Heels were back in action a week after losing 92-89 at No. 1 Kansas.
North Carolina (2-1) won by more than 50 points for the first time in six years and outscored American 64-21 in the second half.
Matt Rogers had 15 points and reserve Elijah Stephens posted 12 points for American (1-3).
Takeaways
American: The Eagles relied on perimeter shooting but went 7 for 31 from beyond the arc.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels will want to replicate much of the second half, which had several crowd-pleasing stretches. ... North Carolina also shot 59% from the field but only 31.8% from deep.
North Carolina guard Seth Trimble (7) pressures American guard Geoff Sprouse (12) who moves the ball up the floor during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Credit: AP/Chris Seward
Key moment
After the Tar Heels missed their first 10 attempts from 3-point range, Tyson and Trimble connected from long range on back-to-back possessions for a 64-45 lead.
Key stat
The Tar Heels outscored American 28-10 on free throws. The Eagles didn’t attempt a free throw until the second half, while North Carolina went to the foul line for 19 first-half attempts.
Up next
American stays in the area to play Monday night at High Point, while North Carolina plays at Hawaii next Friday.
