Bryce Lindsay wasted little time taking over Sunday’s preseason meeting at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, piling up 26 points to push Indiana past North Carolina, 76-58.
The Hoosiers controlled the game in stretches that mattered most, opening a 41-29 halftime lead and then tightening the screws after the break. Indiana held Carolina to 31.3 percent shooting in the second half and spent much of the afternoon winning the battle at the rim, on the glass and off the bench.
Lindsay was the clear headliner. He scored 18 before halftime, spearheading a first half in which Indiana steadily separated with a pair of key runs.
The Hoosiers ripped off a 15-6 surge, fueled by three straight three-pointers, to go ahead 17-12 with 12:49 left in the half. Later, IU strung together a 9-0 burst over 2:56 to stretch the margin to 32-21 with 3:47 remaining and force another Tar Heel timeout.
North Carolina had trouble matching that physicality. Indiana nearly doubled the Tar Heels on the boards in the opening 20 minutes, 27-14, including an 11-4 edge on the offensive glass. That translated into a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points and a 20-5 edge in bench points before halftime.
The Tar Heels leaned heavily on perimeter shots early and finished 7 for 22 from three-point range, while Indiana was 9 for 27. Neither side found much rhythm overall, with both teams shooting below 40 percent in each half. The turnover count told the same story: 15 for each team.
Carolina did get strong work from Sayon Keita, who finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots. Matt Able knocked down three of five three-pointers on his way to 11 points, and Jaydon Young added 10 off the bench.
Indiana’s second-half edge never really disappeared, even when UNC briefly threatened to make things interesting. The Hoosiers pushed the lead to 17 in the first three minutes after halftime, but the Tar Heels answered with a 9-0 run in 2:25 to get within 46-38 with 14:32 to play.
Indiana responded with a 7-0 run of its own and kept Carolina quiet for more than three minutes. UNC then forced IU into misses on 10 of 12 shots and trimmed the margin to 54-45 on a long three from Young with just under 10 minutes left.
Lindsay delivered the next punch, burying a three-pointer to make it 64-46 with 7:01 remaining and send Carolina into another timeout.
For the Hoosiers, the numbers told the same story from top to bottom: a 53-31 rebounding advantage, a 20-10 edge on the offensive glass, a 17-7 margin in second-chance points and 37 bench points to Carolina’s 19.
UNC was once again starting Brown, Able and Neo Avdalas in the backcourt, with Jarin Stevenson and Keita up front. Tar Heel sophomore guard Isaiah Denis did not play, and his return is day-to-day.
UNC wraps up the preseason at home against Charlotte on Tuesday October 27 in the Smith Center. The 49ers are coached by former Tar Heel guard Wes Miller, with Marcus Paige, another UNC alum, on the staff after three seasons under Hubert Davis.
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Wake Forest answered with three unanswered goals, including one early in the second half, and never let UNC settle back into control. For a team that has spent most of the season at the top of the rankings, the loss offered a blunt reality check and a chance to reassess how quickly an elite opponent can flip a game on the road. [Read more 🡒]