University of North Carolina Athletics
Monday, November 2
Chapel Hill
7 p.m.
North Carolina
1-0,0-0ACC
80
vs
72
Western Carolina
0-1,0-0SoCon
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Caro. | 30 | 42 | 72 |
| North Carolina | 39 | 41 | 80 |
Matt Able
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
November 2, 2026 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— North Carolina got 18 points from Matt Able, led from start to finish and held off a pesky Western Carolina squad, 80-72, on Monday night in the Smith Center in Michael Malone's first official game as the Tar Heel head coach.
Carolina (1-0) won its 22nd season opener in a row and improved to 105-12 in such games. The Tar Heels have won 25 straight home openers.
Able's big night was one shy of his career scoring high, set last year against Carolina while playing for NC State.
"It feels amazing," Able said afterward. "I love winning. That's the whole reason I came here was to win at the highest level, and I feel like it's a good start. But there's definitely more to accomplish, and we can always do better."
Terrence Brown (14 points and 8 of 10 free throws), Neo Avdalas (13 points and team highs with seven rebounds and four assists) and Maximo Adams (10 points) all also reached double figures for UNC.
Jaeden Roberts hit 4 of 7 three-pointers for WCU and finished with 17 points before fouling out with 5:57 to play. Jaxon Prunty connected three times from behind the arc and scored 18.
Carolina's defense limited Western Carolina to just 33.9 percent shooting from the floor, but 10 Catamount three-pointers kept things close.
"I thought just the pace that they play with and the organization offensively was really impressive, and just being able to kind of get into a variety of different actions and run them really sharp and disciplined," WCU head coach Tim Craft said of UNC. "They put you in some tough spots."
The Tar Heels dominated inside early, outscoring WCU by a 16-8 margin while leading for 18:53 of the first half and building a 39-30 lead at the break.
By midway through the second half, however, the Catamounts used their rebounding advantage to remain within striking distance while putting a scare in the partisan Tar Heel crowd.
Trailing by just three at 65-62 with 5:25 to go, WCU's Tayeshaun Smith committed a foul and a technical foul, leading to four Tar Heel free throws, which Able and Sayon Keita drilled for a seven-point lead and a key momentum swing.
WCU outrebounded the Tar Heels, 41-32. Both teams shot well from the free throw line, with the Catamounts at 22 for 27 and Carolina 25 of 35.
Carolina athletic director Steve Newmark and former Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams presented Malone with a ceremonial game ball afterward in recognition of his first official win as the Tar Heel head coach.
"I'm thankful to get that first one," Malone said. "And the fans here have been just so kind to me and welcoming, and I love that, and I appreciate that. And I just want to make sure I'm doing my job to make the Carolina family proud. I don't take this opportunity lightly, and that's a huge responsibility."
Former Tar Heel forward Jackson Simmons in his third season as an assistant coach for WCU after previously serving as the team's director of operations in 2017-18.
How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina raced out to a 12-3 lead by the first media timeout, with Able hitting a pair of three-pointers and scoring eight of the team's first 10 points.
• The Catamounts hit four early three-pointers and kept things interesting throughout the opening half, eventually cutting their deficit to three at 30-27 and forcing a Tar Heel timeout with 4:59 on the clock.
• By the time the buzzer rang, Carolina had rebuilt its lead and took a 39-30 advantage into the locker room.
• Able led all scorers with 10 first-half points, while Adams and Brown each had seven. The Tar Heel defense limited WCU to 33 percent shooting from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
• After UNC expanded its lead to 13 at 43-30, WCU ripped of an 8-0 run in under a minute to pull back within five at 43-38 and force an early Malone timeout.
• With 14 minutes to play, Western pulled within a single point at 48-47 after a 7-0 run in 1:18.
• The Catamounts refused to go quietly, never trailing by more than five points until a 9-2 UNC run in the final 10 minutes. A Brown three-point play put the Tar Heels back ahead by eight at 72-64 with 4:44 to play, and an Able layup 24 seconds later upped the lead to 10 at 74-64.
Up Next
Carolina will play its second of six consecutive home games to start the season when it hosts Wofford on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Center.
Stay up to date on the latest Tar Heel men's basketball news on X at @UNC_Basketball and @UNCMBBstats and on Instagram at UNC_Basketball.
Carolina (1-0) won its 22nd season opener in a row and improved to 105-12 in such games. The Tar Heels have won 25 straight home openers.
Able's big night was one shy of his career scoring high, set last year against Carolina while playing for NC State.
"It feels amazing," Able said afterward. "I love winning. That's the whole reason I came here was to win at the highest level, and I feel like it's a good start. But there's definitely more to accomplish, and we can always do better."
Terrence Brown (14 points and 8 of 10 free throws), Neo Avdalas (13 points and team highs with seven rebounds and four assists) and Maximo Adams (10 points) all also reached double figures for UNC.
Jaeden Roberts hit 4 of 7 three-pointers for WCU and finished with 17 points before fouling out with 5:57 to play. Jaxon Prunty connected three times from behind the arc and scored 18.
Carolina's defense limited Western Carolina to just 33.9 percent shooting from the floor, but 10 Catamount three-pointers kept things close.
"I thought just the pace that they play with and the organization offensively was really impressive, and just being able to kind of get into a variety of different actions and run them really sharp and disciplined," WCU head coach Tim Craft said of UNC. "They put you in some tough spots."
The Tar Heels dominated inside early, outscoring WCU by a 16-8 margin while leading for 18:53 of the first half and building a 39-30 lead at the break.
By midway through the second half, however, the Catamounts used their rebounding advantage to remain within striking distance while putting a scare in the partisan Tar Heel crowd.
Trailing by just three at 65-62 with 5:25 to go, WCU's Tayeshaun Smith committed a foul and a technical foul, leading to four Tar Heel free throws, which Able and Sayon Keita drilled for a seven-point lead and a key momentum swing.
WCU outrebounded the Tar Heels, 41-32. Both teams shot well from the free throw line, with the Catamounts at 22 for 27 and Carolina 25 of 35.
Carolina athletic director Steve Newmark and former Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams presented Malone with a ceremonial game ball afterward in recognition of his first official win as the Tar Heel head coach.
"I'm thankful to get that first one," Malone said. "And the fans here have been just so kind to me and welcoming, and I love that, and I appreciate that. And I just want to make sure I'm doing my job to make the Carolina family proud. I don't take this opportunity lightly, and that's a huge responsibility."
Former Tar Heel forward Jackson Simmons in his third season as an assistant coach for WCU after previously serving as the team's director of operations in 2017-18.
How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina raced out to a 12-3 lead by the first media timeout, with Able hitting a pair of three-pointers and scoring eight of the team's first 10 points.
• The Catamounts hit four early three-pointers and kept things interesting throughout the opening half, eventually cutting their deficit to three at 30-27 and forcing a Tar Heel timeout with 4:59 on the clock.
• By the time the buzzer rang, Carolina had rebuilt its lead and took a 39-30 advantage into the locker room.
• Able led all scorers with 10 first-half points, while Adams and Brown each had seven. The Tar Heel defense limited WCU to 33 percent shooting from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
• After UNC expanded its lead to 13 at 43-30, WCU ripped of an 8-0 run in under a minute to pull back within five at 43-38 and force an early Malone timeout.
• With 14 minutes to play, Western pulled within a single point at 48-47 after a 7-0 run in 1:18.
• The Catamounts refused to go quietly, never trailing by more than five points until a 9-2 UNC run in the final 10 minutes. A Brown three-point play put the Tar Heels back ahead by eight at 72-64 with 4:44 to play, and an Able layup 24 seconds later upped the lead to 10 at 74-64.
Up Next
Carolina will play its second of six consecutive home games to start the season when it hosts Wofford on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Smith Center.
Stay up to date on the latest Tar Heel men's basketball news on X at @UNC_Basketball and @UNCMBBstats and on Instagram at UNC_Basketball.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
WCU
UNC
FG%
.339
.418
3FG%
.417
.300
FT%
.815
.714
RB
41
32
TO
9
9
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Thursday, November 05
Wednesday, November 04
Tuesday, November 03
Tuesday, November 03