CHAPEL HILL — The alarming nature of North Carolina’s problems prompted coach Hubert Davis to turn to a Bible verse and address his team with a passage from the Book of James before Monday night’s game.
My brothers, consider it pure joy whenever you face tests of various kinds, because you know that the test of your faith produces perseverance.
While the faltering Tar Heels didn’t respond by calling out a historic performance or anything artistic, they pulled off a much-needed 78-68 win against Virginia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference basketball at the Smith Center to stop the bleeding and quell the panic. of his disheartening pair of road losses.
“To stay with the ups and downs, turnovers, defensively we had flaws,” Davis said. “There was a union in this team that I was very proud of them. At the meeting, this was the first time the guys talked about toughness, perseverance and perseverance. The communication between the teammates, the energy was very good in the huddle. Even when it seemed like things were changing, we all stuck together.”
Caleb Loved supplied 22 points and Armando Bacot grabbed 20 rebounds as North Carolina opened a three-game homestand that was packed into a six-day stretch by putting all five starters in double-digit scoring, despite a gap in the lineup left by Dawson Garcia absent due to illness in his family.
The Tar Heels improved to 10-0 at home this season, a rebounding victory and perhaps a stabilization of the ship after being torpedoed at Miami and Wake Forest, and suffering back-to-back ACC losses by 20-plus points for the first time in 20 years.
It turned into a tough test tonight, North Carolina battling fatigue that had big men Brady Manek and Bacot gassed at times, and weathering cold spells. The Tar Heels shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the second half and missed 14 of 15 shots in a barren stretch, but they never trailed through the final 16½ minutes of the game.
RJ Davis and Manek each finished with 15 points. Manek grabbed eight rebounds. Bacot started a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, but struggled the rest of the way, finishing 7-for-19. He scored 14 points to put together his 10th straight double-double. Leaky Black chipped in 10 points to reach double figures for the first time this season.
“Not every game is going to be perfect,” Manek said. “Not all games are going to be pretty. But the way the guys played, it’s really good to see how we can turn things around. One of the most important things that the coach has been telling us is that we must continue to think positive. Everything we want to do this season is still available. Everything we want to achieve is achievable, and that has really lifted our spirits.
Rather than ignite the Tar Heels with anger, Davis said he put the emphasis on cheering them on during Saturday night’s short 98-76 turnaround at Wake Forest to Monday night’s game here against Virginia Tech.
Keve Aluma scored 19 points, Justyn Mutts had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Hunter Cattoor added 13 points for the visiting Hokies (10-9, 2-6), who pulled out 54-52, 57-54 against North Carolina in the final. last eight minutes of the game.
“It seems like forever since we’ve won a game, so I’m happy we won,” Black said. “I feel like it shows that we really have a fight. I feel like this game really showed that we can dig deep and get some wins. Really encouraging.”
This report will be updated with further information and comments.
Adam Smith is a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News and the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him via email at [email protected] or @adam_smithTN on Twitter.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism