By BOB SUTTON Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Jarin Stevenson and Seth Trimble scored 19 points each to help No. 11 North Carolina beat Pittsburgh 79-65 on Saturday and secure another 20-win season.
The short-handed Tar Heels played without star freshman forward Caleb Wilson (bone fracture in left hand) and center Henri Veesaar (illness/lower body injury), who had both started every game this season and are the team’s top two scorers and rebounders.
Stevenson’s total was a season-high for the Alabama transfer.
Luka Bogavac and Zayden High, who had a career-best game, each scored 15 points for North Carolina (20-5, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Cameron Corhen had 23 points and Roman Siulepa added 14 points for Pittsburgh (9-17, 2-11), which has lost five in a row, including four against ranked teams.
High made his first career start and he posted the game’s first basket on the way to shooting 7 for 11 from the field. He also had a team-high seven rebounds.
Pittsburgh cut a 21-point deficit to 62-48 before North Carolina’s 8-0 spurt put the game away. The Panthers took only eight free throws, while the Tar Heels took 17.
The Tar Heels broke out to a 16-5 lead. North Carolina made 10 of its first 12 shots from the field, helping it to a 46-32 a halftime lead.
Trimble, in the first home game since his game-winning 3-pointer a week earlier against Duke, had 13 first-half points.
North Carolina, which has 66 20-win seasons, improved to 15-0 at home.
Up Next
Pittsburgh: Home next Saturday vs. Notre Dame.
North Carolina: Tuesday night at N.C. State.