Luke Maye has carried the offensive workload for UNC this season so far, and did it once again in the opening round of the PK80.
The No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels used a big second half scoring surge to pull away from a game Portland Pilots 102-78 in a quarterfinal game of the Phil Knight Invitational Tournament on Thanksgiving Day. Junior forward Luke Maye scored 14 of his 20 points over the final 20 minutes to lead five Tar Heel in double figures.
Leading 48-35, UNC (4-0) broke the game open in the first five minutes of the second half. The Tar Heels made their first nine shots after halftime to take a 68-43 lead with 15:05 remaining. The Pilots never recovered.
Maye, who came into prominence during the Tar Heels’ national championship run last year, has topped the 20-point plateau in three of the team’s first four games. The 6-foot-8 forward showed off his offensive versatility by scoring a variety of ways. He made 6-of-7 shots in the second half and finished the game 9-for-15 from the game. Maye also grabbed 10 caroms to post his second double-double of the season.
“I’ve really had a concerted effort on scoring more in the post,” Maye said. “We lost three top players in the post. I’m trying to make more shots in the paint and be a presence in there. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m getting there.”
Joel Berry and Kenny Williams contributed 18 and 17 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Theo Pinson had a fantastic all-around game. Pinson finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Freshman Andrew Platek reached scored in double-figures figures for the first time in his career, finishing with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
Portland (2-2) was able to stay in the game in the first half due to their proficient three-point shooting. The Pilots made 7-of-their-first-12 three-point attempts, but they couldn’t keep up the pace in the second half. However, the Pilots ended up shooting 46.8% (13-of-28) from long-distance though they shot 39.7% from the field overall.
Former NBA guard Terry Porter, who spent 10 of his 17-year career in Portland, is in his second season as the Pilots’ coach. Porter has his two sons, Franklin and Malcolm, currently playing for him. Franklin Porter led the team in scoring against UNC with 19 points. Marcus Shaver Jr. and Malcolm Porter added 17 and 15 points, respectively.
North Carolina set a season in with the 102 points and 54 points in the second half. The Tar Heels, the 19th highest scoring team in the nation, has scored 90 or more points three times. They have also scored a minimum of 40 points in each of the eight halves, topping the 50-point plateau three times.
Next: 68 reasons to be excited for the college basketball season
Carolina will next face Arkansas on Friday afternoon. Arkansas (4-0) defeated Oklahoma (2-1) 92-83 behind Daryl Macon’s season-high 27 points. In the meantime, Portland will square off against Oklahoma in a consolation game