Indiana closes 1st half on strong run, leads UNC 46-37

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - North Carolina played Indiana even for most of the first half but the top-ranked Hoosiers closed on a strong run that gave them a 46-37 halftime lead at Assembly Hall.

Cody Zeller, the younger brother of former Tar Heels' forward Tyler Zeller, made a shot as time expired to give Indiana its nine-point lead, which is tied for the Hoosiers' largest of the game.

As expected, Zeller has been a force inside. Both he and Victor Oladipo, the junior guard, lead Indiana with 13 points. James Michael McAdoo leads the Heels with 10 points.

UNC kept it close throughout the first half, but it wasn't pretty. The Heels shot 48.5 percent during the half, but had assists on just six of their 16 field goals - a sign that UNC improvised often.

The game was tied at 31 with about four minutes to play in the half before Indiana closed the half on a 15-6 run. Dexter Strickland, the UNC senior guard, helped start that run with an intentional foul on Oladipo, who made both of his free throws. Indiana didn't take full advantage of the foul, but Zeller had three dunks in the final two-and-a-half minutes.

Those plays, as well as UNC's ineffectiveness on the other end, ignited a loud home crowd.

Indiana is shooting just 46.3 percent, but the Hoosiers have scored 16 points of UNC's eight turnovers, and Indiana has also outscored the Heels 8-4 on fast-break points.


- Andrew Carter