CHARLOTTE - Just when Louisville started to spread its wings in North Carolina’s 83-70 win on Thursday night in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, the Tar Heels made sure there was no room for the Cardinals to take off.

With Carolina seemingly in control just past the mid-point of the first, the Cardinals forged a 12-0 run from the 8:32 to 5:35 mark cutting UNC’s lead to just 34-33. All the momentum appeared to be in Chris Mack’s teams’ favor before, but as quickly as Louisville gave a glimpse it was in the game, the Tar Heels responded for a run of their own.

Freshman point guard Coby White, who finished tied with Luke Maye for a game-high 19 points, started UNC’s resurgence by hitting a contested 3-pointer from the left corner of the Spectrum Center court.

A 109-second scoring drought followed for both teams before Cameron Johnson hit a tough turn-around shot in the lane to stretch the Tar Heels’ lead to 39-33. The Cardinals quickly responded with a V.J. King basket off a turnover that was the last time they would score until the second half.

“They started beating us at our own game, getting out (in transition) and hitting open threes,” senior guard Kenny Williams said. “We just had to buckle in and settle back in and get back to doing what we do. And I think that’s what we did and (that’s) how we were able to go on that run.”

Johnson and Maye both followed soon after with buckets before White hit two free throws with seven seconds on the clock capped an 11-2 run that gave UNC a 45-35 lead going into halftime.

Johnson, who had four points, three rebounds and one assist in the final 3:41 of the first half, said Louisville’s 12-0 run motivated he and his teammates to go on a run of their own.

“They closed the gap a little bit and we didn’t like that, so we fought back and tried to make some plays for ourselves,” he said.

Another crucial component of the Tar Heels’ eruption to end the half was its energy. The Cardinals had to play on Wednesday night while Roy Williams’ team hadn’t played in five days. And, while Louisville played hard for 40 minutes, the lack of recovery time was something that junior guard Brandon Robinson noticed as UNC pulled away.

“I think basketball is definitely a game of runs and they hit their run, so we know we had to just lock in, get a stop and be big-time and go on a run ourselves,” he said. “They were tired and we felt that we could push the pace on them and they got tired quick.”

The Cardinals never recovered from getting their wings clipped and, as a result, their stay here in Charlotte ended while UNC turns its attention to an ACC Tournament semifinal on Friday night.