North Carolina Pulls Away From Long Beach State
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- James Michael McAdoo scored 18 points and Marcus Paige added 15 to help 11th-ranked North Carolina beat Long Beach State 78-63 on Friday night.
McAdoo scored 12 points in the second half and finished with eight rebounds as the Tar Heels ended Long Beach State's 23-game home winning streak in front of a record crowd of 6,912 at the Walter Pyramid.
The Tar Heels (3-0) got hot from 3-point range during an 18-6 run midway through the second half to pull away. P.J. Hairston had 14 points in a reserve role and Brice Johnson came off the bench and had 10 points and seven rebounds.
James Ennis led the 49ers (1-2) with 18 points and Mike Caffey scored 14. Dan Jennings had nine points and 11 rebounds.
Long Beach State twice pulled to 10 points down in the second half, once on a three-point play by Ennis, but Paige made a pull-up jumper and Hairston hit a 3-pointer for a 73-60 edge.
McAdoo helped extend the lead when he drove and finished with a reverse dunk for a 66-50 lead that made the visiting Tar Heels fans erupt, and he hit a short jumper for a 68-52 lead.
North Carolina went 10 for 27 from 3-point range. Its 27 attempts were as many as it attempted in its first two games.
