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UNC Tar Heels Rout Northern Iowa 85-42 Thanks To Second-Half Surge

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 21: Joel Berry II #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket against the Northern Iowa Panthers during the game at the Dean Smith Center on December 21, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

The No.8-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels had discussed starting games quicker and gaining the lead on opponents earlier.

UNC Tar Heels Rout Northern Iowa 85-42 Thanks To Second-Half Surge

On Wednesday night, despite their late start, the Tar Heels (11-2) used a late surge at the end of the first half and a great second-half outing to defeat the Northern Iowa Panthers (5-6) 85-42 at home.

Four UNC players scored in double-digits against Northern Iowa, led by Kennedy Meeks’ 18 points. Justin Jackson scored 12 points and Joel Berry II and Isaiah Hicks both added 11 for the Tar Heels. Berry played in his second game back from injury.

UNC coach Roy Williams said he believed Meeks made the difference in the game. After the game, Williams told Meeks he was proud of him.

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“In the second half I thought he was the best player in the game for us today,” Williams said. “He’s got to have that attention and got to have that attention to detail and listen.”

The last time these two teams played, the Panthers defeated the Tar Heels 71-67 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It was the first game of the season in 2015, and UNC began it ranked No. 1 overall.

With the victory, Williams is six wins away from 800 in his 29-year career as a head coach.

The first half was close, with the Tar Heels leading 33-26 at the break. UNC missed several 3-pointers, and never led by more than eight points in the first half.

After the break, however, Northern Iowa fell apart. The Panthers shot 26 percent in the second half, going 1 for 15 from three.

UNC held their opponents scoreless for more than seven minutes in the second half while they continued their run, and eventually found themselves 21 points ahead after a Nate Britt three made it 53-32 with 9:32 left in the game.

The More the Tar Heels scored, the louder Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill became.

The crowd grew its most raucous when Hicks dunked on Northern Iowa’s Jordan Ashton, who tried to challenge the dunk. Hicks said he didn’t expect the 6-4 guard to try to challenge the shot.

“Then I realized, he really tried to block it,” he said. “I thought it was going to be one of those fake and get out the way.”

After Hicks dunked it, he stared down Ashton and forced Northern Iowa to call a timeout. By that time, however, it was too late.

UNC began the second half on a 17-6 run, and by the end of the game, outscored the Panthers 52-16.

The Tar Heels will play one final non-conference game against Monmouth next week before conference play begins at Georgia Tech on New Year’s Eve.

CHAPEL HILL, NC – DECEMBER 21: Joel Berry II #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket against the Northern Iowa Panthers during the game at the Dean Smith Center on December 21, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.