North Carolina cruises past James Madison

The North Carolina Tar Heels improve to 4-0 after beating James Madison 80-64. They will be back in action Thursday to take on Portland.

The North Carolina Tar Heels dominated James Madison Sunday, delivering their best game this season.

UNC got off to a quick 12-3 start and kept their foot on the pedal all game long. James Madison did crawl back with a 6-3 run to make the 15-9, but North Carolina continued to pour it on.

The first half was the Armando Bacot show, as the senior center notched his 50th career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first 20 minutes of action.

UNC leads 45-26 going into the half.

The second period started rocky for UNC, as James Madison started the period on a 12-2 run. North Carolina battled back, finally finding their groove, but the game continued to stay tight as each team took turns going on small runs.

The Heels contained separation in the second half despite James Madison’s strong start to the period. Bacot’s domination continued, finishing with 19 points and 23 rebounds in the victory. RJ Davis led all scorers with 21 points and also contributed five assists.

UNC now 4-0 on the season will hit the road for the first time with a battle against the 4-1 Portland Pilots on Thanksgiving.

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