Michigan basketball blown out in second half at North Carolina, 72-51
A barrage of deep 3-pointers, punishing dunks and a rebounding edge turned a two-point halftime lead into a blowout as Michigan basketball lost at North Carolina, 72-51, on Wednesday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Despite early dominance from freshman Moussa Diabate and offensive rhythm from Caleb Houstan, the Tar Heels established control in the second half, downing Hunter Dickinson into foul trouble early and sprinting to an easy win.
Caleb Love was the main catalyst for North Carolina’s second-half onslaught, where the Tar Heels outscored the Wolverines, 43-24. Love finished with 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Dawson Garcia posted 14 points for the Tar Heels and center Armando Bacot pitched in with 11.
Diabate led U-M (4-3) with 13 points, and Eli Brooks scored 11.
Diabate got his first start of the season, leading all scorers with 11 first-half points. Two smooth buckets in the post gave U-M an early 9-8 lead. He then established an outside presence, nailing a 3-pointer and a contested jumper near the baseline to put Michigan up, 21-18.
But the Tar Heels (5-2) would end the half on a 7-0 run, capped off by a deep 3-pointer by Love, handing UNC a slim 29-27 lead going into the break.
The Tar Heels carried that momentum into the second half, where they ran away with the game.
Bacot hit a tough jump shot over Dickinson, then went right back at Dickinson in the left post. He made a strong move into the paint before spinning to his left, scoring on Dickinson while drawing the fourth foul on the Michigan big man, with more than 18 minutes left in regulation.
Another three-point play shortly thereafter by Leaky Black — who flew in for the offensive rebound and putback layup — extended the UNC lead to 37-31. UNC big man Brady Manek snuck behind the defense for a reverse at the baseline, he then extended his range for a 3-pointer to put U-M in true danger, down 51-38 with 9:20.
The danger turned to dismay for Michigan. Love’s powerful right-handed driving dunk off a high-ball screen, followed by back-to-back 3-pointers made it 59-40.
Michigan will next play San Diego State on Saturday at Crisler Center.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball blown out in 2nd half at North Carolina, 72-51
