CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Highlighted by freshman Andrew Nicholas' 22 points and junior Jesse Steele's 17 points and career-high nine assists, Monmouth fell at No. 6 North Carolina 102-65, on New Year's Day in the Dean Smith Center.
Nicholas and Steele, who combined for 39 points on 9-of-15 from three-point range, paced the Monmouth attack which had 18 assists on 25 field goals. Nicholas hit 6-of-8 from beyond the arc as the Hawks hit a season-high 11 three-pointers. Mike Myers Keitt and Austin Tillotson added seven points each for the Hawks.
"I am extremely happy that our kids competed today," stated head coach King Rice postgame. "We are going to keep working hard to see what we can do to continue to get better. I very happy for Jesse. I am very happy for Red (Andrew). I am very happy happy for Austin. They played extremely well tonight and I'm just extrememly happy for them."
The Tar Heels opened with a 12-0 lead before Steele's backdoor layup at 16:22 made the tally 12-2. UNC answered with three straight from John Henson to coral a 15-2 advantage, but the Hawks responded with an 8-0 spurt, on a Tillotson jumper and consecutive Nicholas three-pointers to make the score 15-10 with 14:38 left.
After an Ed Waite wing jumper made the score 18-12 at 12:48, Harrison Barnes notched six straight points to double up the Hawks 24-12 with 11:47 remaining.
The Hawks climbed within 24-16 following a Marcus Ware lay-in and a Steele reverse lay-up off a fast break, with 11:07 on the board, before a Tillotson pull-up three-pointer at 9:28 made the score 29-19.
UNC retaliated with a 13-0 run over a 4:50 span to haul in a 42-19 advantage with 4:18 left, but a Steele three-pointer at 3:56 allowed the Hawks to climb within 42-22.
The Tar Heels, who ended the stanza on a 28-7 run, held a 57-26 lead at the break on Reggie Bullock's three-pointer from the corner with four ticks showing.
Steele's two free throws and three-pointer pulled the Hawks within 59-31 and after back-to-back Nicholas jumpers, MU trailed 61-35 with 17:23 left. Another Steele trifecta made the tally 65-40 with 16:03 showing, and a trio of Nicholas three-pointers made the score 71-49 with 12:46 remaining.
Two free throws from Myers Keitt made the score 73-53 with 9:38 left, before the Heels answered with a 12-3 spurt around Nicholas' sixth three-pointer, to grab a 85-56 advantage with 6:08 showing.
Myers Keitt drilled a three-pointer from the far corner to halt the run, and Tilloston's fast break lay-in off a feed from Myers Keitt with 4:30 left, made the score 89-61.
UNC responded with the next 10 points to increase the lead to 99-61, before Max DiLeo's offensive putback made the tally 99-63 with 1:35 left.
The Tar Heels, who hit 54.4% from the floor, had four players in double-figures, led by Henson's 21 points and eight rebounds. Barnes added 18 points, while P.J. Hairston notched 16. UNC, which had 26 assists on its 37 made baskets, got 11 helpers from Kendall Marshall, in its seventh straight victory.
Monmouth returns to action on Thursday, January 5 when the Hawks host Mount St. Mary's in Northeast Conference action in the MAC, at 7:00 p.m.
