Tar Heels surge past Harvard in 2nd half

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Luke Maye scored 14 points to help No. 15 North Carolina beat Harvard 77-57 on Wednesday night.

Cameron Johnson and Coby White added 13 points apiece in the Tar Heels' final nonconference game of the regular season.

North Carolina led 44-39 early in the second half before pulling away with a 22-3 run over the next 10 minutes.

Harvard missed 11 consecutive shots from the floor as North Carolina extended its lead to 66-42 with 6:20 to play.

Nassir Little scored 12 points and Kenny Williams had 11 for the Tar Heels (10-3), who shot 42 percent.

Robert Baker scored 10 points for Harvard (6-6), which had 22 turnovers.

North Carolina led 41-31 at halftime after a 15-3 spurt late in the period. Johnson sparked the run with a layup and two 3-pointers.

BIG PICTURE

Harvard: The Crimson's half-court defense and rebounding were solid, but the team's season-long turnover woes persisted. Harvard had turnovers on eight of 13 possessions as the Tar Heels seized control in the first half, and the Crimson finished the period with more turnovers (12) than field goals (10).

North Carolina: The Tar Heels were far from spectacular and will need to play better if they hope to contend for the Atlantic Coast Conference title. They overcame shaky perimeter shooting by beating Harvard down the court, even after made baskets by the Crimson.

UP NEXT

Harvard gets a 10-day break before playing at Dartmouth on Jan. 12 in its Ivy League opener.

North Carolina plays at Pittsburgh on Saturday at noon in a return game for Johnson, who spent three seasons with the Panthers before departing in 2017 as a graduate transfer.