The Cal Golden Bears snapped a three-game skid with an 84-78 victory over No. 15 North Carolina on Saturday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley for their second win against a ranked team.
Cal led by 20 points in the second half, but North Carolina fought back late in the game, although it wasn’t enough to pull off a comeback. The win was the Golden Bears’ first win over a top-15 opponent since 2016.
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The Golden Bears were led by senior forward John Camden who scored 20 points. Dade Ames and Justin Pippen, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, each scored 17 points in the game. Lee Dort had 7 points and 12 rebounds.
Cal head coach Mark Madsen expressed gratitude for the loud, boisterous environment during home games at Haas Pavilion.
“I really want to thank the Cal community, the students, the alumni … the donors and supporters. Basically, it’s a packed house. We’re trying to build something special at Cal, and it’s going to take everyone’s effort, and about the environment, I can’t say enough about it,” Madsen told reporters after the game.
Added Madsen: “Give me a lot of credit for North Carolina. Late in the game, they were on their heels. They did a great job of trying to make us uncomfortable. Credit to them and credit to some of our guys for stepping up and playing late with no timeouts.”
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Tar Heel freshman Caleb Wilson scored a team-high 17 points for UNC. Henri Veesaar and Derek Dixon each had 14 rebounds. Veesaar grabbed 10 rebounds for UNC.
More NCAA men’s basketball: USA Today Sports Coaches Poll
“I don’t think there was a sense of urgency in the first 20, 25 minutes,” UNC head coach Hubert Davis told reporters after the game. “There were still turnovers on both ends of the floor, but we did it with urgency and we put in the effort and it got us back in the game.”
Carr shot 50% from the field and even better from three-point range, hitting 54% from three-point range.
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“It’s great to see,” Madsen said. “Everyone knows we attack the rim with different moves to put pressure on the rim. It was good to see some shots go down tonight because we can also make shots and we can do both.”
North Carolina shot 46% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Additionally, the Tar Heels attempted 11 free throws and shot 61% (17-of-28).
Although the Tar Heels held a 32-18 advantage in the paint, they never led.
Cal improves to 14-5 (2-4 in the ACC standings), while North Carolina improves to 14-4 (2-3 in the ACC standings).
The Tar Heels’ next game is Jan. 21 against Notre Dame on ESPN2. The Golden Bears visit the Stanford Cardinals on Jan. 24 at Maple Pavilion, ACC Network reports.
Cal vs. No. 15 North Carolina Basketball Highlights
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carr disrupts North Carolina basketball
