UNC Tar Heels Use Strong Second Half To Defeat St. Bonaventure Bonnies At Fort Myers Tip-Off
It was a tale of two halves in sunny Fort Myers, but in the end, No. 16 UNC men’s basketball handled its business, taking down St. Bonaventure 85-70 to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off. With the victory, the Tar Heels moved to a slick 6-0 start for the first time since the 2016-17 season, a year that ended pretty well.
A Shaky Start For UNC
Let’s be honest, the first half was uglier than a thrift store sweater. UNC sprinted out of the gates, looking like world-beaters on a 15-2 run that had the Bonnies searching for answers. Freshman Caleb Wilson threw down a dunk to get things started, and it looked like we were in for a blowout. The defense was suffocating, the transition game was humming, and Wilson was looking like a star in the making, hitting a slick turnaround jumper to put UNC up 23-14.
Then, the wheels got a little wobbly. Sloppy passes, 11 first-half turnovers, and an offense that suddenly couldn’t find a rhythm allowed the Bonnies to claw their way back. It felt like watching someone try to parallel park a bus. St. Bonaventure went on a run, tying the game at 28-28. The Tar Heels’ bench provided about as much spark as a dead battery, with only Zayden High managing to score.
A last-second turnover by Luka Bogavac nearly let the Bonnies tie it up before the buzzer, but UNC escaped into the locker room clinging to a tight 35-33 lead. You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from Chapel Hill.
Tar Heels Find Their Groove
Whatever Hubert Davis said at halftime, it worked. The Tar Heels came out looking like a completely different team. They opened the second half with a purpose, quickly stretching the lead to 47-38 after a beautiful no-look pass from Bogavac to a soaring Henri Veesaar for a monstrous dunk. It was the kind of play that gets the crowd on its feet and reminds you why you love this game.
Veesaar was an absolute beast, finishing the night with a dominant 24 points and 13 rebounds. He was the anchor UNC desperately needed. Even when the offense sputtered again midway through the half, going nearly four minutes without a field goal, the defense held firm, maintaining a comfortable 10-point cushion.
Then, freshman Guard Derek Dixon decided it was his time to shine. He drained a three, scored a quick layup in transition, and then found Veesaar for another bucket, providing a much-needed jolt of energy off the bench. Suddenly, a nail-biter turned into a comfortable 69-52 lead, and the Tar Heels never looked back, cruising to an 85-70 win that felt much more convincing than the first 20 minutes suggested.
Next up, UNC faces a real test against No. 11 Michigan State. They’ll need a full 40-minute effort, not just a second-half surge, if they want to keep this perfect record intact.
