CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After a slow start, North Carolina Central University battled back to a single-digit deficit at halftime against No. 6 North Carolina, but the Tar Heels added to their lead after intermission and held off the Eagles for a 76-60 win inside the Dean E. Smith Center on opening night Friday.
 
NCCU senior transfer guard Anthony McDonald topped three Eagles to score double figures with a game-high 16 points. Senior forward Karamo Jawara contributed 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds, while junior guard Dante Holmes added 11 points for NCCU.
 
North Carolina utilized its big bodies in the post to out-rebound the Eagles 49-30, and protected the rim with 10 blocked shots, holding NCCU to 32.1 percent (18-for-56) field goal shooting. The Tar Heels shot 44.3 percent (27-for-61) from the floor, and were paced by Brice Johnson with 12 points and eight boards.
 
"I thought our first-shot defense was pretty good," said NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton, as the Eagles used a variety of zone defenses to force 14 Tar Heel turnovers. "It was the second shot that killed us."
 
UNC scored the first 11 points of the contest, as the Eagles missed their first four shots and committed three turnovers in the opening five minutes. Holmes put back a missed shot for the first bucket of the season for NCCU at the 15:00 mark.
 
The Tar Heels held a 20-7 advantage when McDonald drained a 3-pointer at 7:28 to start a 12-8 run to close out the half, as NCCU trailed by just nine points at 28-19 heading into the locker room.
 
"We have a lot of new guys and it showed," said Moton. "We were nervous in the first half. Once we made a few shots, we started to settle down."
 
North Carolina opened the second half with back-to-back old-fashioned 3-point plays to increase the cushion to 34-19.  The Eagles managed to trim the gap to 12 points before the Tar Heels led by as much as 21.  NCCU scored the final five points of the game to make the final margin 16 points.
 
Back in 2009 when the teams met for the first and only other time, UNC beat the Eagles 89-42.
 
"I am never pleased with losses, but I am pleased with our effort and fight," said Moton. "We can build upon those things."
 
NCCU (0-1) returns to the hardwood on Tuesday, Nov 18 to host College of Faith at 7 p.m. inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.  The contest will be video/audio streamed live at NCCUEaglePride.com, courtesy of the NCCU Sports Network.