CHARLOTTE - Through 89 career games, Ven-Allen Lubin has fouled out of just three contests, two of which have come this season with North Carolina. But, with 3:32 remaining in the Tar Heels’ 65-59 win over Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals, Lubin subbed into the game with four personal fouls, one miscue away from disqualification.
As UNC found itself knotted at 57-apiece with the Demon Deacons and needing a productive closing stretch from the junior big man, it found just that.
After converting one of two free throw attempts with 3:12 remaining, which would give the Tar Heels the lead for good, Lubin swatted away a layup attempt from first-team All-ACC selection Hunter Sallis on the ensuing possession.
His defensive stand helped North Carolina put distance between itself and Wake Forest on an RJ Davis 3-point basket just 15 seconds later.
And despite shooting 2-for-10 over the game’s first 38 minutes, it was his offensive production that made difference.
With the Tar Heels on the verge of punching their ticket to the semifinals, Lubin put an exclamation point on the victory with two emphatic dunks.
Sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau connected with Lubin on an alley-oop attempt with 2:04 on the clock to extend the lead to six at 63-57.
He followed that up with an encore slam to give North Carolina an eight-point cushion, dunking home a missed 3-point attempt from Jae’Lyn Withers.
“It was just electric, and making plays like that, just knowing that coach always emphasizes going to the offensive boards, getting us second-chance opportunities,” said Lubin.”Just the way I wanted to attack the rim and give our team a chance to give us a win.”
Upon returning to the floor with just over three and a half minutes to play, the 6-foot-8 center delivered in a must-win situation for the No. 5-seeded Tar Heels.
Lubin tallied five points, two rebounds, and two blocks, but, most importantly, was whistled for zero fouls.
“He’s the reason why we won today. His block against Sallis and then Elliot threw a tremendous pass to him to go up there and get up top, and a putback dunk,” said RJ Davis. “That just [helped] spread out and expand the lead for us and Ven was a huge reason for that.”
Lubin finished the contest with his third double-double in four games, scoring 10 points and pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds. It marked his eighth consecutive contest in double figures.
Lubin was impactful for all 40 minutes on the defensive end, holding big man Efton Reid to two points on 0-of-5 shooting, his only game this season without a made field goal. He matched his career-high with three blocks, which is tied for the most against an ACC opponent this season.
“He’s been extremely incredible. I mean, his two dunks at the end of the game really put us over the hump, kind of said goodnight to Wake Forest,” said guard Seth Trimble. “His performance in the last quarter of the regular season and in this tournament so far has been incredible.”
Lubin returned to the starting lineup on Jan. 25 against Boston College after eight games as a reserve, and has found himself in the starting five in 13 of the last 14 games. His lone appearance off the bench came in the regular season finale, as Hubert Davis elected to start senior Ty Claude on Senior Night.
In that span, the Orlando, FL native is averaging 10.8 points per game and shooting 64.8 percent from the field. His 4-for-12 outing on Thursday was the only game in that span in which he shot below 50 percent.
While the 33 percent shooting night was his third-lowest of the season, Lubin stepped up when UNC needed it most, connecting on his final two shot attempts to shut the door on Wake Forest.
