Harrison Ingram totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds to lift No. 14 North Carolina to a 91-69 win over Northern Iowa on Wednesday in the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Ingram, who also had three assists, scored nine of his points in the second half to help the Tar Heels (4-0) overcome a six-point halftime deficit. It was the first double-double for Ingram in a North Carolina uniform, and the sixth of his collegiate career after spending his previous two seasons at Stanford.
Cormac Ryan and Elliot Cadeau each scored 15 points, RJ Davis added 13, Jae’Lyn Withers had 11 and Armando Bacot 10 for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina returns to action on Thursday in a semifinal against Villanova.
Nate Heise powered the Panthers (1-3) with 14 points, while Jacob Hutson chipped in 10. Northern Iowa will oppose Texas Tech on Thursday in the consolation bracket.
Northern Iowa led by as many as eight points in the first half, breaking off a 10-0 run after Bacot scored a game-opening layup.
The Tar Heels chipped away at the deficit and tied the game with 3:36 to play in the first half, but UNI went on a 10-2 run – powered by seven points from Bowen.
The Tar Heels came out on fire in the second half, starting it with a 16-1 run to take a nine-point lead. Ryan provided the spark the Heels needed, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers during that span, two of which were assisted by Ingram.
UNC eventually extended that run to 27-6, as it knocked down seven of its first eight attempts from behind the arc in the second half. The Tar Heels went on to lead by as many as 24 points.
The Tar Heels shot 46.2 percent from 3-point line and were also efficient at the charity stripe, making 27 of 31 attempts. North Carolina scored 25 points off 17 UNI turnovers.
–Field Level Media