CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Luka Bogavac led four double-figure scorers with 19 points and Caleb Wilson had his first career double-double as No. 18 North Carolina overcame an off-shooting night and beat Radford, 89-74, on Tuesday night in the Smith Center.
 
Carolina improved to 3-0 this season with the win, while Radford fell to 2-1.
 
Bogavac had his best game to date as a Tar Heel, hitting 7 of 18 shots, including three three-pointers, while tying for the team lead with five assists and nabbing three rebounds.
 
Henri Veesaar scored 18 and grabbed seven boards. He was 5 for 7 from the floor, including 1 for 1 from behind the three-point stripe, and hit 7 of 11 free throw attempts.
 
Caleb Wilson tallied his first double-figure rebounding game and finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Jarin Stevenson scored in double figures for the first time as a Tar Heel, scoring 15 points and adding seven rebounds despite missing almost 10 minutes of the first half due to a right ankle injury. Stevenson hit 10 of 12 free throws.
 
Dennis Parker Jr. led Radford with 23 points, while Del Jones scored 22.
 
Carolina its defense limited the Highlanders to 33.3 percent shooting in the first half, 35.0 percent in the second half and 34.3 overall.
 
The Tar Heels shot just 8 of 31 from three-point range (25.8 percent), but attempted a whopping 49 free throws, making 31 as Radford committed 33 fouls as a team.
 
Both teams shot poorly throughout most of a sluggish, low-scoring first half. The score was tied in the final six minutes before the Tar Heels hit 6 of 8 shots to close the half with a flourish and a 13-point lead at 44-31.
 
Carolina played good defense and led by double figures the entire second half, never allowing the Highlanders to mount a serious threat down the stretch.
 
 
 
Notes
• The game was UNC’s first without senior team captain and guard Seth Trimble, who broke a bone in his arm in a team workout on Sunday Nov. 9.
• Carolina started a new lineup after Trimble’s injury: Kyan Evans and Bogavac in the backcourt with a frontcourt composed of Stevenson, Wilson and Veesaar.
• Evans attempted just one field goal, making a three-pointer to finish with three points.
 
 
How It Happened
First Half
• Stevenson left the court and went to the training room after 1:25 of action in the first half due to a right ankle injury. He returned to the bench at the 9:36 mark of the first half and re-entered the game with 9:16 on the clock in the opening half.
• Radford missed 9 of its first 11 shots as the Tar Heels built an early lead. The Highlanders eventually shot 10 for 30 (33.3 percent) from the floor in the first half.
• Wilson scored four points and grabbed four rebounds in the game’s first four minutes but went to the bench shortly thereafter with his second foul. After returning later in the half, he picked up a third foul with 5:39 left before the break and went to the sidelines again, still with the same four points and four boards in eight minutes.
• With the score tied, 22-all with 7:12 on the clock, Carolina went on an 8-0 run to take control. The Tar Heels built a 15-point lead in the closing minute and led, 44-31, at the half.
• UNC hit only 4 of 14 three-point tries (28.6 percent) while missing 10 of 24 free throws in the first 20 minutes.
 
Second Half
• The Highlanders hung around and didn’t let Carolina pull away until it finally built its first 20-point lead with 10:47 on the clock.
• Wilson recovered nicely from his foul-ridden first half to post nine points and 10 rebounds after halftime.
• Bogavac scored 12 points after intermission.
 
 
Up Next
Carolina will play its fourth of its five consecutive home games to start the season when it hosts NC Central on Friday at 9 p.m.