Despite trailing by 18 points at halftime and 21 points early in the second half, Carolina edged Dayton to win 92-90 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational on Monday night. It is the second-largest comeback in UNC history.

HEELS WIN.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/tsts0lB4xH

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) November 26, 2024

RJ Davis led the way with 30 points, including a three-pointer with 1:52 left that gave UNC an 85-84 lead for the first time in the second half. Seth Trimble scored 27 points on 10-14 shooting from the floor and 10-11 shooting from the free throw line. Overall, Carolina finished 27-34 from the foul line, compared to 12-15 for Dayton.

The Flyers pulled ahead early against the Tar Heels, using a 31-13 run to turn a 20-20 tie into a 51-33 lead over the final nine minutes of the first half. The Flyers shot 51 percent from the floor and made seven three-pointers in the half, while also taking advantage of several UNC misses: UNC converted 12 times in the first half alone, more than they had in the entire previous game against Hawai’i.

The 18-point halftime deficit was UNC’s largest since the 2022-23 season. At the start of the second half the score grew to 21 points at 56:35, but shots from Elliot Cadeau, Davis and Trimble steadily reduced the seemingly insurmountable lead. Midway through the half, the Flyers’ lead fell to under 10 points thanks to a three-pointer from Davis, and the game remained close until the end.

Dayton was leading 78-71 with 5:25 left when UNC made its most consequential move. Jalen Washington converted a crucial chance to make it 1-1, part of a pivotal second-half performance in which he scored all nine points. Free throws from Davis and Trimble brought UNC to 84-82 before Davis’ three-pointer gave Carolina the lead.

Dayton’s Malachi Smith answered with a three-pointer of his own, but freshman Drake Powell made the biggest shot of his young career to put Carolina ahead again, 88-87. After Davis made two more free throws, the Flyers’ Nate Santos appeared to tie the game with a three-pointer with six seconds left, but replay showed his toe touched the line, meaning the basket was a two-pointer . Two more free throws from Davis brought UNC back to a three-point lead at 92-89, and the Flyers couldn’t pull off a miracle in the final seconds.

UNC shot 19-32 (59.4 percent) from the floor in the second half after going 9-22 in the first. The Tar Heels also turned the ball over just three times in the half after a sloppy performance in the first 20 minutes. Trimble led all players with 10 rebounds to register a double-double.

Aside from Davis and Trimble, Elliot Cadeau was the only other Tar Heel to finish in double figures. He scored 10 points despite committing four fouls early in the second half. Powell and Ian Jackson combined for 11 points off the bench.

Carolina will be back in action when it takes on No. 4 Auburn in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday night at 11 p.m

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Maggie Hobson

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