Caleb Wilson’s 20 points and 14 rebounds and Henri Veesaar’s 18 points and 15 rebounds led No. 16 North Carolina to an 81-61 nonconference victory against Georgetown on Sunday in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Luka Bogavac and reserve Derek Dixon each added 14 points as North Carolina (8-1) backed up a recent victory at Kentucky with another triumph in its first home game since Nov. 18. Dixon drilled three 3-pointers as six Tar Heels made at least one 3-point basket.
KJ Lewis poured in 11 of his 17 points in the first half for Georgetown (6-3). Julius Halaifonua tacked on 14 points and Langston Love notched 10 points off the Hoyas’ bench.
Even though the Hoyas got loose for scoring on fast breaks, North Carolina’s interior was too much as evidenced by a 45-36 rebounding advantage. Georgetown shot 4-for-23 on 3-pointers. Wilson shot 7-for-12 from the field to go with 6-for-6 shooting on free throws.
Five North Carolina players sank 3-point shots across a stretch of slightly more than seven minutes during the second half.
The Tar Heels broke away with a 12-2 run for a 62-47 lead with more than 13 minutes remaining, with nine straight of those points coming via 3-pointers from Dixon, Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson. The margin grew to 73-55 on Dixon’s jumper with 5:23 to go.
Veesaar had 12 points and seven rebounds and Wilson had 10 points in the first half, which ended with the Tar Heels holding a 44-39 lead.
North Carolina made 12 of 18 shots from 2-point range in the first half, but went 4-for-15 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Georgetown used an 8-0 spurt to take a 16-9 lead, but North Carolina connected on five consecutive shots later in the half to go ahead for good.
The Hoyas shot 44% from the field in the first half, but they committed only one turnover. They finished the game with four turnovers.
