Wilson leads No. 18 North Carolina past NC Central 97-53

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman forward Caleb Wilson scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half and added 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double, leading No. 18 North Carolina past North Carolina Central 97-53 on Friday night.

Henri Veesaar contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and Luka Bogavac scored 13 for the Tar Heels (4-0). Zayden High had 11 points off the bench.

Wilson blocked four shots and was 7 of 8 from the floor, with all but one of those attempts coming before halftime. He played only four minutes in the second half with the Tar Heels leading comfortably.

Ramondo Battle II scored 14 points for NC Central (1-4), which shot only 24.2%. Gage Lattimore added 12.

The Tar Heels made 11 3-pointers and shot 54.5% overall.

NC Central missed eight straight shots and went scoreless for 5:57 in the first half as the Tar Heels pushed their advantage to double digits for the first time thanks to an 11-0 run.

UNC added a 10-0 spurt later in the half and went into the break leading 39-24. NC Central did not make a field goal over the final 3:41.

NC Central: Will host Toccoa Falls on Tuesday.

UNC: Will host Navy on Tuesday.

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