North Carolina survives scare from Harvard to advance to round of 32
Justin Jackson led a balanced attack with 14 points – including a go-ahead dunk in the final minute – as the fourth-seeded Tar Heels survived a furious Harvard rally to come away with a 67-65 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla.
Marcus Paige had 12 points and six assists for North Carolina (25-11), which will face either No. 5 seed Arkansas or No. 12 seed Wofford in the round of 32 on Saturday. Kennedy Meeks added 10 points and eight rebounds while Isaiah Hicks scored nine points – all in the first half – on 4-of-4 shooting as the Tar Heels shot 55.1 percent from the floor.
Wesley Saunders scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead the 13th-seeded Crimson (22-8), but his teammates went 13-of-41 from the floor. Siyani Chambers scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half to lead the comeback bid for Harvard, which erased a 16-point second-half deficit before falling short of its third straight win in the round of 64.
Paige hit a big triple to make it 63-59 with just over three minutes to go, but Saunders beat the shot clock to make it a two-point game and Chambers had a steal that led to his dramatic four-point play with 1:15 to go, which gave Harvard its first and only lead of the game. Jackson answered with a basket and, after Chambers was off on a long-range attempt, finished a fast break with a dunk on a feed from Paige before Chambers and Saunders both missed 3-point tries in the closing seconds.
Saunders scored on a back-door cut to ignite an 11-0 burst late in the first half as Harvard cut a 14-point deficit down to three, but Hicks sparked a 10-2 surge that gave North Carolina a 36-25 advantage at the break. A layup by Paige early in the second put the Tar Heels ahead by 16 points but they had one field goal in the next seven-plus minutes and Harvard pulled within 58-55 with 6:15 left after Chambers hit a floater and Corbin Miller made two free throws one second later.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Saunders was 5-of-8 from the floor in the first half, while the rest of the Crimson went 3-of-20. … Harvard’s first turnover came in the final minute of the first half and it finished with seven, compared to 17 for North Carolina. … Tar Heels F Brice Johnson and F J.P. Tokoto both had seven points and seven rebounds to help their team earn a 36-26 advantage on the boards.
