North Carolina guard Leaky Black (1) takes a shot to give his team the lead against Notre Dame late in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Freshman Day'Ron Sharpe had a season-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Leaky Black hit the go-ahead jumper in the closing seconds, and North Carolina beat Notre Dame 66-65 on Saturday.
Kerwin Walton made a career-high four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for UNC (6-4, 1-2 ACC). The freshman is 12 of 24 from behind the arc this season.
Caleb Love hit a 3 before before Sharpe scored the final six points in a 9-0 run that gave North Carolina a two-point lead with 4:19 left in the game. There were six lead changes, including a layup by Prentiss Hubb that gave the Fighting Irish a 65-64 lead with 36 seconds later. With the shot clock dwindling, Black slipped around a screen by Garrison Brooks and dropped in a running bank shot to cap the scoring with 9.1 seconds remaining.
Notre Dame (3-6, 0-3) led for nearly 28 minutes and Nate Laszewski's 3-pointer - capping his streak of 11 consecutive points for the Fighting Irish in less than three minutes - made it 57-50 with 7:39 to play.
Laszewski led the Fighting Irish with 25 points and nine rebounds and Hubb scored 14 points. Laszewski, who went into the game shooting 57.1% from behind the arc, made a career-high seven 3s on 11 attempts.
The Tar Heels shot a season-low 35% (24 of 69) from the field but outrebounded Notre Dame 48-27, including 21-3 on the offensive glass. The Fighting Irish, who shot 47% (25 of 55), were outscored 21-3 in second-chance points.
The game was announced on New Year's Eve after UNC and Notre Dame had games originally scheduled for Saturday against Syracuse and Pittsburgh, respectively, postponed due to circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
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Notre Dame forward Nate Laszewski (14) drives between North Carolina guard Leaky Black (1) and forward Day'Ron Sharpe (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press
Notre Dame forward Juwan Durham (11) drives to the basket while North Carolina guard Leaky Black (1) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press
North Carolina forward Day'Ron Sharpe, center, drives between Notre Dame guard Nikola Djogo (13) and forward Matt Zona during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
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Notre Dame forward Juwan Durham (11) drives to the basket against North Carolina forward Armando Bacot (5) and guard Leaky Black (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press
Notre Dame guard Prentiss Hubb (3) drives to the basket while North Carolina forward Walker Kessler and guard Kerwin Walton defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press
Notre Dame forward Nate Laszewski (14) drives to the basket while North Carolina forward Garrison Brooks (15) and guard Caleb Love (2) defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey speaks with his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Associated Press