Long Beach State Beach at North Carolina Tar Heels

No. 5 North Carolina rolls past Long Beach State 93-67

Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams is more focused on getting more consistency from his team on the defensive end, and maybe a little more attention to detail, too.

Joel Berry II scored 23 points and UNC shot 53 percent to beat Long Beach State 93-67 on Tuesday night for a third straight lopsided win to open the season.

Kennedy Meeks added 15 points for the Tar Heels (3-0), who scored the game's first 14 points and led by 23 points by halftime. That dominating start was enough to erase any doubt about the outcome, though Williams was aggravated enough at one sloppy second-half stretch that he angrily punched a clipboard to the court during a timeout.

"That first 10 minutes of the second half ... that was about as bad offensively as I've seen us in 31 practices and three games and one exhibition," Williams said, adding he also wants more from his team defensively.

Gabe Levin scored 17 points for Long Beach State (1-2), who never recovered from an awful start that included making 8 of 31 shots (26 percent) in the first half. The 49ers finished at 36 percent and missed 20 of 26 3-pointers.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't take advantage of the opportunity to come out here and play a little better early," Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said.

BIG PICTURE

Long Beach State: This game came roughly 48 hours after a loss at Wichita State as part of a demanding opening stretch that includes a stop at No. 12 Louisville on Thursday as well as visits to UCLA, Washington and Kansas before the end of November. So far, at least, Long Beach State is struggling to keep up, losing the past two games by a combined 63 points.

"This game will help us get better," Monson said. "Hopefully Thursday will too."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

UNC's three wins have come by an average of nearly 29 points per game, part of the reason the Tar Heels climbed one spot in this week's AP Top 25 poll.

BERRY'S START

Berry is off to a fast start in his development as UNC's No. 1 threat. He matched his career-high scoring total set in the opening win against Tulane to go with six rebounds, four assists and two turnovers in 21 minutes.

The junior is shooting 60 percent from the floor so far this season.

"I'm just taking open shots," Berry said. "I'm not trying to force anything, not trying to play outside of my game and trying to do what I have to do to help this team."

THEY SAID IT

UP NEXT

Long Beach State: The 49ers continue their nationwide trek at No. 12 Louisville.

UNC: The Tar Heels head west for an extended trip, first to play Hawaii on Friday before beginning play in the Maui Invitational over the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

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More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/APTop-25

How can I watch Long Beach State vs. North Carolina?

• TV Channel: Long Beach State at North Carolina 2021 College Basketball, week 2, is broadcasted on ACCNX.
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