Henri Veesaar matches a season-high with 26 points to carry No. 18 North Carolina past Virginia Tech

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Henri Veesaar matched a season-high with 26 points, Seth Trimble scored 20 points, and No. 18 North Carolina pulled away in the second half to beat Virginia Tech 89-82 on Saturday night.

Jonathan Powell got 15 points off the bench, 13 of which came before halftime.

The Tar Heels (23-6, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) opened their first double-digit lead at 73-63 with 6:59 left on a hook shot by Veesaar, who added seven rebounds and was 11 of 20 from the floor. It was his third time with 26 points this season, most recently in a 95-90 loss to Stanford on Jan. 14.

The Hokies pulled within five with 2:45 remaining, but North Carolina closed it out despite making just one field goal over the final 6:22.

Neoklis Avdalas finished with 19 points for the Hokies (18-11, 7-9), who lost for the third time in four games. Tobi Lawal and Ben Hammond had 16 points apiece.

North Carolina played without leading scorer and rebounder Caleb Wilson for the fifth straight game. The star freshman fractured his left hand against Miami on Feb. 10. The Tar Heels are now 4-1 in his absence.

Virginia Tech went scoreless for 3:03 early as the Tar Heels capitalized with nine straight points to go up 21-16. They twice extended their lead to eight, but the teams ended the half deadlocked at 44-44.

The Tar Heels improved to 17-0 at home, matching their most wins in a season at the Dean E. Smith Center. They were 17-1 in 2011-12.

Virginia Tech: Hosts Boston College on Tuesday night.

North Carolina: Hosts Clemson on Tuesday night.

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