Heels buckle down for rebound win

justinjacksonactionnwNorth Carolina, which fell from No. 1 in the country to No. 9 after losing to Northern Iowa, rebounded with a solid but not easy 80-69 win over Northwestern in the Hall of Fame Classic.

UNC’s Justin Jackson, who finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, got the first double-double of his career and was aggressive, especially on the offensive end where he got six rebounds.

He tallied four during a 14-1 run at the end of the first half that erased a six-point Wildcat lead and put Carolina up 43-36 at the half, a lead the Heels would never relinquish.

During the run, the Tar Heels got a three by Theo Pinson that put the team up for good at 36-35 with 2:38 left in the first half. The nicest play of the run came when Joel Berry found Jackson slicing down the baseline for a bucket.

“Jackson’s cutting down the baseline and his offensive rebounding was the difference,” said Northwestern coach Chris Collins, the former Dukie.

An 8-0 run midway through the second half put Carolina up by 20 at 71-51. During that run, Jackson slashed down the baseline for an up and under then followed it with a runner in the lane. Carolina’s defensive got the Heels some easy baskets in the second half against Northwestern, which was held to 37 percent shooting in the half.

For more on the game, including a boxscore, please click here.

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