National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
North Carolina 68, Wake Forest 53
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Officials: # Brian O'Connell, # Bryan Kersey, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 12865

Tyler Zeller collected 18 points and a season-high 18 rebounds as fifth-ranked North Carolina posted a 68-53 road triumph over in-state rival Wake Forest on Tuesday.

John Henson and Kendall Marshall chipped in with 14 points apiece for the Tar Heels (19-3, 6-1 ACC), who overcame a lackluster effort from 3-point range (4-for-19) to win for the 13th time in 14 games. North Carolina claimed sole possession of first place in the conference, moving past idle Duke (18-3, 5-1) and Florida State (14-6, 5-1).

Wake Forest's C.J. Harris reached the 1,000-point plateau on the nose with 19 points on Tuesday.

After Harris tied the game at 19-19 with 7:42 remaining in the first half, North Carolina used a balanced attack to score 17 of the next 22 points to take a 36-24 lead at intermission.

Harrison Barnes, who was slowed by an injured left ankle, returned to the contest and drilled a 3-pointer to highlight the run.

The Demon Deacons (11-11, 2-6) were able to close the deficit to seven on four occasions before the Tar Heels went on a 16-1 run during a 4:48 stretch in the second half to put the game on ice.

Wake Forest suffered its third straight loss and finished the month of January with a 2-7 mark.
Top Game Performances
 
North Carolina   Wake Forest
Tyler Zeller 18 Scoring C.J. Harris 19
Kendall Marshall 6 Assists Tony Chennault 3
Tyler Zeller 18 Rebounds Travis McKie 13
Tyler Zeller 8 Free Throws Made C.J. Harris 8
Kendall Marshall 3 Steals Tony Chennault 1
John Henson 4 Blocks Ty Walker 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
North Carolina 68 31.0 4-19 20-26 10 50 12 7 5
Wake Forest 53 29.6 2-18 19-26 8 36 6 2 11