Kennedy Meeks netted 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting to lead No. 24 North Carolina in a 79-56 rout of UNC Greensboro on Tuesday.
Joel James scored 11 points off the bench, Brice Johnson finished with eight points and five rebounds and Justin Jackson chipped in seven points, four boards and four assists for the Tar Heels (7-3), who rebounded from an 84-70 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.
Kayel Locke paced the Spartans (4-7) with 17 points, while Diante Baldwin and Nicholas Paulos scored 13 and 12, respectively, in the loss.
The Tar Heels dominated from the outset. James and Isaiah Hicks each threw down dunks for a 14-2 advantage prior to a UNCG timeout nearly seven minutes in, then a triple from Joel Berry II pushed the advantage to 23-4 midway through the first half.
Paulos hit a 3 and Baldwin's jumper with three seconds to play capped a 7-1 stretch, but the Spartans still trailed 40-19 at halftime.
North Carolina shot 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) from the floor over the first 20 minutes, while UNCG shot 8-for-29 (27.6 percent), including just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc.
The Tar Heels continued their strong play in the second half, where they led by as much as 32 points down the stretch.
[SportsNetwork.com]
