The North Carolina Tar Heels matched up with the No. 4 ranked team in the nation, d, on Tuesday night in the semifinal round of the Maui Invitational. And like their game Monday against Dayton, the Tar Heels found themselves behind early.
The Tigers grabbed the lead early and never really looked back, extending the lead to double digits in that first half. While UNC closed the gap to four points near the first half, it was as close as they could get with the Tigers rolling to an 85-72 victory.
The Tar Heels had no answer for Auburn’s best player, Johni Broome. He was having his way with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, posing a double-double and picking up where he started in the win over Iowa State.
He was physical down low and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, showcasing his ability. But Auburn also found their groove shooting the ball, making 11 three-pointers to push their lead in the second half.
North Carolina had no answer for the Tigers on the defensive end as every time they cut into the lead, Auburn would respond. The second half didn’t see the lead grow, but it consistently remained around the 10-15 mark for the majority of the 20 minutes. They cut the Auburn lead to single digits with just under three minutes left in the game, but they weren’t able to capitalize, losing by 13 points.
Seth Trimble finished with 17 points. RJ Davis had 12 points and five rebounds. Ven Allen Lubin has one of the best stat lines of the game with 10 points and nine rebounds.
North Carolina will face off with Michigan State in the third-place game on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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