No. 12 UNC uses 2nd-half surge to pull away from East Tennessee State

Henri Veesaar scored a career-high 26 points as No. 12 North Carolina pulled away from East Tennessee State in the second half for a 77-58 victory Tuesday in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Caleb Wilson contributed 20 points and eight rebounds as the Tar Heels (10-1) captured their fourth straight win.

North Carolina shot 54% from the floor and made 8 of 25 (32%) of its attempts from 3-point range while committing just seven turnovers.

Veesaar made 10 of 11 shots, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He also had eight rebounds to help the Tar Heels to a 35-23 edge on the boards. He also helped North Carolina to a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint.

Brian Taylor scored 14 points and Blake Barkley added 11 points to lead East Tennessee State (8-4) of the Southern Conference.

The scrappy Buccaneers hung with the Tar Heels for most of the first half, outscoring them 9-2 on second-chance points in the period.

North Carolina spurted in the final two minutes of the half. Double-team pressure forced a turnover, which Jarin Stevenson converted into a fastbreak layup.

Veesaar drained a 3-pointer and Stevenson followed with a block that fueled a transition basket by Jonathan Powell, which gave the Tar Heels a 38-30 lead at the break.

North Carolina continued its assault at the start of the second half. Wilson made two free throws and a putback slam.

When Veesaar followed with a triple, it completed a 12-0 run that bridged the half and secured a 45-30 lead for the Tar Heels.

Midway through the second half, North Carolina put it away with a 15-point burst. Veesaar scored eight of the points in the spree and Jaydon Young added a 3-pointer. The run put the Tar Heels up 66-39 with 7:24 left.

Wilson, a freshman, extended his streak of games with at least five made free throws to all 11 games of his career. He made 7 of 10 attempts from the stripe.

The program record is 12 straight games, shared by three players.

--Field Level Media