ATLANTA (AP) — Caleb Wilson dominated in the return to his hometown, scoring 22 points as No. 16 North Carolina cruised past Georgia Tech for a 91-75 victory on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 Atlanta native set a school record by scoring 20 points for the 15th time as a freshman. He had been tied with Tyler Hansbrough, who had 14 games with 20 points for the Tar Heels in 2005-06.
Wilson set another school record by reaching double-figure points in the first 21 games of his college career. He broke a tie with Rashad McCants, who had at least 10 points in his first 20 games in 2002-03.
With a light snow falling outside McCamish Pavilion, Henri Veesaar gave North Carolina (17-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) a devastating 1-2 punch on the inside with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
The Tar Heels won their third in a row, with Wilson adding three more dunks to what was already his nation-leading total of 62.
The game got away from Georgia Tech (11-11, 2-7) in the latter stages of the first half. Wilson had a pair of thunderous slams as well as converting a three-point play, pushing North Carolina to a 52-37 lead at the break.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 21 in the second half, handing the Yellow Jackets their third straight loss and sixth setback in the last seven games as they head toward another disappointing season under third-year coach Damon Stoudamire.
Baye Ndongo led the home team with 27 points, but the rest of the team combined to make only 18 of 48 shots with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, a Georgia Tech graduate, watching the game from a courtside seat wearing a “GT” cap.
Up next
North Carolina: Hosts Syracuse on Tuesday night to begin a big week. The Tar Heels are home against No. 4 Duke next Saturday.
Georgia Tech: Travels to California on Wednesday for the first of two straight West Coast games.