Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan scored a combined 31 points as No. 14 North Carolina defeated Northern Iowa 91-69 in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
North Carolina (4-0) will face the winner of the Villanova-Texas Tech game on Thursday, while Northern Iowa (1-3) moves to the consolation bracket.
UNC started the second half strong, with a 19-2 run giving them a 54-42 lead. They maintained their momentum, with Ryan and Ingram contributing to an 8-0 run and another 8-0 run, securing the win.
While Northern Iowa shot 60% in the first half, they struggled in the second half, not making a shot from the field until the 13:52 mark and scoring their second field goal with 8:44 remaining.
Elliot Cadeau scored 11 of his 15 points in the final 11 minutes, while RJ Davis, Jae’Lyn Withers, and Armando Bacot also contributed to North Carolina’s victory.
Nate Heise and Jacob Hutson led Northern Iowa in scoring, with Heise contributing 14 points and Hutson adding 10. Tytan Anderson also had seven points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers.
Northern Iowa was looking for its first win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since defeating North Carolina State in 2017.
SERIES HISTORY
UNI’s only victory in the series was in 2015, when they beat the No. 1-ranked Tar Heels 71-67. The game was scheduled to give Marcus Paige, a native of Marion, Iowa, an opportunity to play in his home state, but he was unable to play due to injury.
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