Andrien White scored 15 points as Wake Forest throttled visiting North Carolina for most of the game in a 74-57 Demon Deacons victory Tuesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Brandon Childress added 14 points and 10 assists, and Chaundee Brown provided 11 points in what became Wake Forest's first victory in the series in the past seven meetings.
The Demon Deacons (11-13, 4-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for only the second time in a seven-game stretch.
North Carolina, coming off the final-minute collapse in regulation in an overtime loss to rival Duke on Saturday night, was lacking in most areas in this in-state trip. Even with an arena crowd that consisted of about half Tar Heels fans, it didn't matter.
Christian Keeling and Cole Anthony each posted 15 points for the Tar Heels (10-14, 3-10), who lost their fourth consecutive game to drop into a last-place tie with Miami in the conference. Armando Bacot had 10 points.
Goggle-wearing Garrison Brooks, who suffered an eye injury against Duke, didn't hit a field goal on five shots for UNC and ended with seven points, though he also received stitches on his lip, necessitated by a blow late in the first half. North Carolina was 1 for 16 on 3-pointers.
North Carolina trailed by 26 points at the 16-minute mark, but pulled to 64-52 with 3:56 to play on Bacot's lay-in off a Wake Forest turnover. Anthony's drive further sliced the gap.
Keeling missed a shot that would have cut the deficit to six points with about two minutes left, and Wake Forest scored the last eight points of the game.
North Carolina didn't score until 3 1/2 minutes into the game. Wake Forest went up 19-10.
The Demon Deacons pushed their way to a 31-17 edge, and the margin reached 20 points and settled at 44-26 at the break.
North Carolina won last season's lone meeting by 38 points on the same court. This season, the teams will meet again next month in Chapel Hill.
--Field Level Media
North Carolina | Wake Forest | |
Cole Anthony 15 | Scoring | Andrien White 15 |
Cole Anthony 4 | Assists | Brandon Childress 10 |
Armando Bacot 7 | Rebounds | Ody Oguama 8 |
Garrison Brooks 7 | Free Throws Made | Torry Johnson 4 |
Rechon Black 3 | Steals | Chaundee Brown 3 |
Cole Anthony 1 | Blocks | Chaundee Brown 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
North Carolina | 57 | 33.3 | 1-16 | 14-16 | 9 | 36 | 3 | 8 | 14 |
Wake Forest | 74 | 42.6 | 9-23 | 19-22 | 14 | 33 | 5 | 6 | 14 |