Virginia 61, North Carolina 52: Joe Harris scored 12 of his team-high 19 points in the second half as the host Cavaliers used a late surge to pull away from the Tar Heels in the ACC opener for both teams.
Harris shot 7-for-11 from the field and Akil Mitchell added seven points and 11 rebounds for Virginia (11-3, 1-0), which shot 8-for-14 from 3-point range to improve to 10-1 at home.
Reggie Bullock returned after missing a game with a concussion to score a season-high 22 points for North Carolina (10-4, 0-1), which fell to the Cavaliers for just the second time in 11 outings.
After Bullock capped the Tar Heels' 11-2 run with a 3-pointer, Virginia answered with a 20-6 run of its own to take a 46-40 lead midway through the second half. Harris and Paul Jesperson drilled 3-pointers before Evan Nolte capped the surge with back-to-back shots from beyond the arc.
Bullock sank a pair of 3-pointers and added a putback to bring North Carolina to within one at 51-50 with 3:07 remaining, but Harris and Jesperson had four points apiece as Virginia pulled away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cavaliers G Jontel Evans had eight points after returning from a four-game absence with a foot injury. ... Bullock's career high is 23, which was set last season versus Tennessee State. ... North Carolina struggled from beyond the arc, going 5-for-14 (29.4 percent) from 3-point range.
North Carolina | Virginia | |
Reggie Bullock 22 | Scoring | Joe Harris 19 |
Dexter Strickland 3 | Assists | Jontel Evans 6 |
James Michael McAdoo 7 | Rebounds | Akil Mitchell 11 |
Reggie Bullock 4 | Free Throws Made | Joe Harris 3 |
Brice Johnson 1 | Steals | Joe Harris 2 |
Reggie Bullock 1 | Blocks | Justin Anderson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
North Carolina | 52 | 37.3 | 5-17 | 9-17 | 9 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
Virginia | 61 | 44.9 | 8-14 | 9-18 | 14 | 30 | 6 | 6 | 11 |