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Luka Bogavac talks perimeter shooting after UNC beats USC Upstate
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- Luka Bogavac talks perimeter shooting after UNC beats USC Upstate
With six days off between games, how would UNC play in its return to live basketball action? North Carolina hosted USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon , with both programs returning to gameplay after a week off for exams.
The Tar Heels started strong, racing out to a 7-0 advantage fueled by transition offense, then found themselves trailing midway through first-half action.
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One constant helped UNC overcome that early deficit – and proved instrumental in an eventual, 80-62 victory : perimeter shooting.
North Carolina (9-1) drained 10 of its 23 perimeter attempts, with guards Luka Bogavac and Jonathan Powell nailing three apiece. Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar, Derek Dixon and Jaydon Young all added makes from deep.
After the Tar Heels' win, Bogavac spoke about the importance of UNC's strong performance from deep – and how it helped his team pull away.
"It's easier when you make some shots," Bogavac said. "It motivates you and your teammates to play better defense. Say there's some easy shots that you made, after that we get more confidence."
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Bogavac's three perimeter makes tied his previous season-highs, set in wins at Kentucky , against Navy and Radford. Bogavac finished his afternoon with 15 points, also stuffing the stat sheet with five rebounds and assists apiece.
North Carolina made 28 shots on 55 attempts overall, equating to an impressive 51 percent. Upstate (6-6) enjoyed hot offensive stretches, but the Tar Heels easily overpowered them on defense.
Bogavac is consistently a 10-point scorer – and he should remain in the starting lineup. If threes start falling at a high clip like Saturday, UNC's opponents will be in for rude awakenings.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Luka Bogavac says 3-point shooting motivated UNC in Saturday win
