Coby White scored 17 points and fellow freshman Nassir Little recorded all 11 of his points in the second half to help No. 13 North Carolina bounce back from its worst home loss under coach Roy Williams with a 75-69 victory over Notre Dame on Tuesday night at Chapel Hill, N.C.
It wasn't easy as the Tar Heels (13-4, 3-1 ACC), who trailed by three at halftime, needed an 8-0 run with less than six minutes to play to generate some breathing room and eventually rebound from an embarrassing 83-62 loss to Louisville on Saturday.
North Carolina shot just 39.7 percent from the field but made nine 3-pointers and got a huge second-half boost from Little.
Considered one of the most athletic freshmen in the nation and a potential one-and-done prospect, Little was averaging 9.7 points entering the night, but he broke out after totaling 14 in the previous three games. He also pulled down six rebounds in 18 crucial minutes.
White, meanwhile, was solid all evening before fouling out for the Tar Heels, who woke up during the second half. After the break, they held the Fighting Irish (11-6, 1-3) to 37.5 percent shooting, including 4 of 15 from 3-point range.
Luke Maye scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards for North Carolina.
John Mooney posted a third straight double-double with 16 points and a season-high 19 rebounds for Notre Dame, which fell to 0-2 on the road in ACC action this season after dropping its sixth in a row to the Tar Heels.
Freshman Prentiss Hubb had a team-high 18 points for the Irish, who got 35 solid minutes from guard T.J. Gibbs after he missed Saturday's win over Boston College due to an illness. Gibbs contributed five points and five assists.
North Carolina returns to action on Saturday at Miami (Fla). Notre Dame also will be back on the court Saturday, hosting No. 17 North Carolina State.
--Field Level Media
Notre Dame | North Carolina | |
Prentiss Hubb 18 | Scoring | Coby White 17 |
Prentiss Hubb 6 | Assists | Cameron Johnson 6 |
John Mooney 19 | Rebounds | Luke Maye 10 |
Temple Gibbs 2 | Free Throws Made | Cameron Johnson 5 |
Nikola Djogo 1 | Steals | Seventh Woods 2 |
John Mooney 4 | Blocks | Cameron Johnson 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Notre Dame | 69 | 41.0 | 10-28 | 9-14 | 13 | 33 | 8 | 2 | 11 |
North Carolina | 75 | 39.7 | 9-21 | 12-20 | 15 | 43 | 2 | 6 | 11 |