UNC Recap: While the inches of snow was piling up back home in Colorado, UNC men’s basketball was piling up the points in Cancun on Tuesday afternoon. The Bears defeated Boston 78-55 in the Cancun Challenge, advancing to the championship game of the Maya Division against Gardner Webb tomorrow.
It was a balanced scoring effort from the Bears as four players finished in double figures led by Jonah Radebaugh’s 25 points. Bodie Hume (15), Sam Masten (10) and Kai Edwards (10) joined Radebaugh in double figures.
Troy’s Take: The Bears’ defense was the difference, as they took away Boston’s top scoring threat (Walter Whyte) and turned the Terriers into a limited team offensively. That defense kept Boston from making a shot for a close to seven minute stretch bridging halftime, which allowed the Bears to push the lead to 25 at 50-25 before the first media time out of the second half.
Edwards has been a large part of UNC’s ability in the past two games, withstanding the opponents size while playing some of the best basketball of his time in Greeley. Max Mahoney found out the hard way that you may beat Kai on a spin, but he can recover quickly and block your shot. The post player for the Terriers was named to the Patriot League’s pre-season All-Conference team, but struggled head-to-head against Edwards, who picked up his second double-double of the season.
Next up: Gardner-Webb, 1:00pm MT, from the Cancun Challenge Wednesday. The game is the championship tilt for the “Mayan Division” of the tournament.
Head Coach Jeff Linder’s Post-game Interview: