• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

North Carolina dominates Oakland in opener

Nov 9, 2013 - 6:08 AM Chapel Hill, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - James Michael McAdoo led all players with 21 points and nine rebounds as the 12th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 84-61, at Dean E. Smith Center.

Marcus Paige had 14 points while making 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while J.P. Tokoto added 13 points and four steals in North Carolina's home and season opener. The Tar Heels (1-0) have now won nine straight home openers.

"In the first half we shot 74 percent with 17 or 18 assists; and I thought James Michael [McAdoo], J.P. [Tokoto], and Marcus [Paige] were really good in the first half. Our defense was good and helped us get the break going. We had some open court situations and I think that was the whole thing right there," said UNC head coach Roy Williams.

Travis Bader contributed 18 points for Oakland (0-1), while Duke Mondy had 14 points, six rebounds, and six steals in defeat.

"They made tough shots, but they also got a lot of easy ones. Then we started taking bad shots, which was leading to run-outs and easy plays. We couldn't stop the snowball from going," said Oakland head coach Greg Kampe.

The Tar Heels jumped out to a quick 12-3 lead fueled by nine points from McAdoo. After a three from Bader and a jump shot from Mondy, the Tar Heels went on another run, this time a 17-2 streak that was highlighted by three Paige 3-pointers and stretched the lead to 29-10.

Tokoto made a 3-pointer with 27.8 left in the half to allow the Tar Heels to take a commanding 58-21 lead into the break.

Oakland outscored North Carolina 40-26 in the second half, but were already too far behind to generate a comeback.

Bader drained two 3-pointers early in the second half as the Golden Grizzlies went on an early 12-2 run that cut the deficit to 63-35 with 14 minutes left.

Luke Davis dunked after a defensive rebound from Paige to give the Tar Heels a 35-point lead at 75-40 with 6:48 left in the game.

The Golden Grizzlies continued to chip away at the lead, with Bader, Dante Williams, and Mondy making three consecutive shots from beyond the arc before Lloyd Neely II dunked with 1:27 remaining to help trim North Carolina's lead down to 81-58.

The Tar Heels won the only other meeting between the two teams, a 96-68 victory in the 2005 NCAA Tournament en route to a national championship.

Game Notes

North Carolina is 92-12 all-time in season-opening games ... Oakland lost their first game as a member of the Horizon Conference ... The Tar Heels made 60 percent of their shots from the floor.