AP

No. 1 North Carolina pulls away from Portland late, 89-81

Nov 23, 2022, 10:16 PM | Updated: Nov 24, 2022, 3:04 pm

North Carolina forward Pete Nance, right, shoots over Portland center Joey St. Pierre during the fi...

North Carolina forward Pete Nance, right, shoots over Portland center Joey St. Pierre during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Invitational tournament in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)

(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)


              North Carolina guard Caleb Love dunks the ball against Portland during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Invitational tournament in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
            
              North Carolina guard Caleb Love, right, shoots over Portland forward Kristian Sjolund, left, and forward Moses Wood during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Invitational tournament in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
            
              North Carolina forward Pete Nance, right, shoots over Portland center Joey St. Pierre during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Invitational tournament in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Top-ranked North Carolina knew there would be tests during its weekend in the Pacific Northwest.

Unexpectedly, its opener was one.

Pete Nance scored 28 points, Caleb Love added 23 and No. 1 North Carolina withstood the Portland Pilots 89-81 in the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational on Thursday.

The Tar Heels (5-0) needed a late 14-3 run to finally pull away from one of the tournament’s host schools.

“I want us to consistently compete and for the first five games, it’s been there for half, it’s been there for moments, but it hasn’t been there for a full 40 minutes on both ends of the floor,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said.

Love carried them in the first half with 16 points and reached the 1,000-point mark in his career, becoming the 80th North Carolina player to reach that mark. North Carolina has the most 1,000-point scorers of any school in the country.

Nance picked up the slack after halftime with 20 points and matched his career high in scoring set last season when he was playing for Northwestern.

“All the credit to my teammates,” Nance said. “I think they were finding me in my spots when I was open. I try to work on those shots and they were going in today.”

Moses Wood led Portland (4-3) with 21 points. The Pilots didn’t let the Heels pull away until the closing minutes when Portland went cold from the field. Portland had just one field goal in the final 4 minutes — Tyler Robertson hit a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left to cut North Carolina’s lead to 84-81.

But that was the last chance for the Pilots, because RJ Davis hit a 17-footer for the Tar Heels with 26 seconds left to put the game away. Davis finished with 13 points, Armando Bacot had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Leaky Black had 11 points.

“It’s an interesting position that we’re in. People have an expectation of how it should look. And so we’re supposed to be up by 20 at halftime. We’re supposed to win every game by 30,” Davis said. “No. We’re supposed to compete and play hard and improve.”

Robertson, Portland’s leading scorer, finished with 13 points after going scoreless in the first half. Alden Applewhite added 14 off the bench.

“I think everyone is kind of disappointed that we didn’t come out with a win. We know we had chances to come out and win that game,” Robertson said. “I’ll put my hand up and say I missed some big shots at the end. But I think that everyone just sees and knows that these teams that we play in our conference the rest of the preseason that we’re going to be in every single game.”

Portland took its biggest lead at 64-59 when Applewhite scored on a pretty backdoor cut with 11:30 remaining. North Carolina scored 10 of the next 13 points, but Wood’s baseline floater pulled the Pilots even at 69-69 with 7:30 left.

Robertson’s baseline jumper and another floater by Wood pushed Portland’s lead to four, but the Tar Heels responded with their decisive run.

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina: Portland was the fifth straight team from a non-Power 5 conference that the Tar Heels faced to open the season. That will change Friday with their semifinal matchup. North Carolina has just one game remaining on its schedule against a non-Power 5 team.

Portland: It was a tremendous effort by the Pilots, who faced North Carolina in the opening round of this tournament when it was played five years ago and lost 102-78. The Pilots also played without starting guard Mike Meadows due to injury.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: The Tar Heels will face Iowa State in the semifinals on Friday.

Portland: The Pilots will face Villanova in a consolation game on Friday.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

No. 1 North Carolina pulls away from Portland late, 89-81