CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina's top freshmen provided an opening-night boost for the No. 16-ranked Tar Heels after a rough year, even while playing in row after row of empty blue seats at their home arena.
 
Freshman guard Caleb Love scored 17 points and UNC (1-0) ran off 17-straight second-half points to beat College of Charleston, 79-60, in Wednesday night's opener for both teams, a game played in a nearly empty arena due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Fellow rookie Day'Ron Sharpe added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who won at home amid an unusual backdrop. There were only a handful of family members and staffers scattered throughout a few sections in the 21,750-seat Smith Center, which pumped in background crowd noise.
 
The Tar Heels are coming off a 14-19 season, marking the first losing record of Williams' Hall of Fame career. They're hoping for a quick turnaround with a deep frontcourt and a roster boosted by the arrival of 247sports' No. 2-ranked recruiting class.
 
Those freshmen played a key role, with Love, Sharpe and RJ Davis scoring the first 12 points of the 17-0 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 59-43 lead on Armando Bacot's three-point play with about 10 minutes to go.
 
Brevin Galloway scored 15 points to lead College of Charleston (0-1), which overcame an 0-for-11 shooting start that left the Cougars down 14 in the first half. But, they got within 39-32 by halftime, then took a 43-42 lead on Dontavius King's corner 3-pointer at the 15-minute mark before UNC made its move.
 
After the Thanksgiving holiday break, the Cougars will host NCAA Division II Limestone in their home opener on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena.
 
POSTGAME NOTES
· College of Charleston went with the starting five of Zep Jasper, Payton Willis, Brevin Galloway, Lorenzo Edwards and Osinachi Smart. It marked the first career starts for Willis and Edwards, both graduate senior transfers from Minnesota and Saint Joseph's respectively, in a Cougar uniform. It was the 13th career start for Smart.
· Brevin Galloway turned in his 34th career game in double figures with a team-high 15 points including three 3-pointers at North Carolina.
· North Carolina now leads 5-3 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. The Cougars are 0-3 all-time at the Dean Dome.
· Osinachi Smart brought down a career-high 12 rebounds including four on the offensive end against the Tar Heels. It marked his third double-figure rebounding game of his career.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
 
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the loss …
"We did a great job keeping the ball out of the post. They (UNC) started to get it around the basket a little bit. They had a couple of baskets at the rim. Then it was just our turnovers. They started to pick up their full-court press. That was an 8-0 spurt for them. We went from being up one to being down seven within that spurt. Maybe fatigue set. But, I think it was our miscues and our turnovers that allowed them to make that run."
 
On the team moving forward …
"We are on a seven-game journey in the non-conference. We only get seven games. We knew this game was going to be really tough. We certainly wanted to come in, compete and play the right way. We did compete and did a lot of good things. We will learn from our mistakes, put it behind us and move on. It was a challenging game. They (UNC) were very big around the basket. We had some opportunities around the rim. We were getting to the right spots."
 
College of Charleston Graduate Senior Guard Brevin Galloway
On the difference in the second half of play …
"I think it was their (UNC) length and size. Obviously, that will be the only team we will play like that in our season. It was a big factor in that. When you have four people over 6-foot-10 that can definitely change the game and how you approach it. How you are able to get the basket. I felt like we did a good job. We had our moments. But, we turned over the ball over too much. It was uncharacteristic of us, but that's what happens when you play an opponent like that."