UNC Basketball Swings second-biggest comeback win in program history

Behind a season-high 30 points from graduate guard RJ Davis and a career-high 27 points courtesy of junior guard Seth Trimble, Hubert Davis’ fourth UNC basketball squad began its Maui Invitational quest on a high note by notching a 92-90 victory over the previously undefeated Dayton Flyers (5-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) at the Lahaina Civic Center on Monday night.

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After facing a 51-33 halftime deficit, they were the no. The 12th-ranked Tar Heels (4-1, 0-0 ACC) trailed by 21 points with 17:36 left in the game. They went on to outscore the Flyers, 57-34, from that point forward, setting up a Maui Invitational semifinal showdown against No. 4 Auburn Tigers at 11 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

The 21-point comeback victory matched the largest second-half comeback victory in UNC basketball history. And it stands as the program’s second-biggest comeback win overall, when the 1991-92 Tar Heels climbed back from 22 down in the first half to defeat the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in February of that season.

UNC’s 59 points after halftime marks the second time in the Tar Heels’ last three outings that they have reached that total in the second half.

In addition to his career scoring night, eight points off his previous best, Trimble recorded his first UNC basketball double-double by grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels on the boards. He and Davis, who eclipsed 30 points for his sixth time as a collegian, each dished out a team-high five assists against the Flyers.

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