UNC's Jeremiah Francis dribbles through traffic. (UNC Athletic Communications)

Tar Heels hang on to win thriller over Yale

North Carolina broke open a close game only to see Yale come from 12 down but the Tar Heels hung on for a 70-67 thriller at home to give Coach Roy Williams a win that tied him with the legendary Dean Smith at 879 victories.

Yale used the three ball to come back from a 60-48 deficit and had a chance to tie at the buzzer but Azar Swain, who seemingly couldn’t miss, did just that at the buzzer.

Carolina missed its first seven shot from the floor as Yale got out to an 11-2 lead early. But the Tar Heels went on a 15-2 run highlighted by a reverse scoop shot by Jeremiah Francis that gave the Heels their first lead.

UNC led 32-28 at the break but a 7-0 Yale run to start the second half put the Heels down 35-32.

A 14-2 Carolina run, which included a step back long two and a three by Brandon Robinson, put the Heels in control 46-37. The Heels went up by 13 after back-to-back buckets by Justin Pierce and still led by 12 with just over six minutes to play.

A 14-5 Yale spurt, which ended with a three by Jordan Bruner, got the Bulldogs within three 65-62 with 47 seconds to go.

An old-fashioned three-point play by Francis, along with a pair of free throws, held Yale at bay but the Heels couldn’t breathe easy until Swain missed the potential tying shot at the buzzer.

Despite the exciting ending and the fact that he tied Coach Smith’s win total, Coach Williams’ initial thoughts were with Anthony Harris, who left the game late with a knee injury. Harris was late to start the season due to a bad knee. “My hopes and prayers are that there’s nothing serious there,” he said.

Robinson, who led the Heels with 20 points, said there was a “mix of emotions” among the players as they felt concern for Harris and happiness for Coach Williams.

Joining Robinson in double figure scoring were Justin Pierce with 14, Garrison Brooks with 11 and Francis with 10.

“The first part of the season is over with – let’s see what we can do in the ACC,” Coach Williams said. “We need to improve this week.”

The Tar Heels, now 8-5 overall, play ACC opponent Georgia Tech Saturday at 6 p.m.

For a box score and more on the game, please click here.

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