CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina used stifling second-half defense to pull away from Appalachian State on Tuesday for a 70-50 victory in a bounce-back performance from a disastrous effort in Las Vegas over the weekend.

The Tar Heels weren’t all that sharp out of the gate, turning the ball over some and struggling to defend stuff in the paint – be it from the drive or cut. But the Heels locked down, making some adjustments, and then were intent on going inside either through the entry or drive in opening up a lead that grew to as much as 25 points.

Armando Bacot led the Tar Heels with 16 points while pulling down 10 rebounds, and RJ Davis finished with 15 points. Caleb Love totaled 11 points and five assists, and Brady Manek added 11 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

UNC improved to 9-3 while App State dropped to 6-7.

This was Carolina’s final nonconference game of the regular season.

Here are 5 takeaways from UNC’s win over Appalachian State: