Bucknell Bison at North Carolina Tar Heels

Maye, No. 9 UNC hold on to beat Bucknell, 93-81

The ninth-ranked Tar Heels held on to beat the feisty Bison 93-81 on Wednesday night, giving coach Roy Williams his 400th victory at his alma mater.

Luke Maye scored 20 points and hit an important 3-pointer down the stretch and Theo Pinson added a career-high 19 points for North Carolina (2-0) in the on-campus round of the PK80.

North Carolina blew most of an early 16-point lead but scored nine straight points after the Bison cut the lead to 71-67 on Nate Sestina's layup with 6 1/2 minutes remaining. Pinson started the decisive burst with two free throws, and Maye pushed it back to double figures with his 3-pointer with 4 1/2 minutes remaining that made it 78-67.

"I finally made one decent call from the sideline, and Luke made a 3 from the top of the key," Williams said.

Nana Foulland and Zack Thomas scored 21 points apiece for Bucknell (0-3). The Patriot League favorites shot 46 percent and were 11 of 28 from 3-point range to offset a serious disadvantage inside.

Sterling Manley had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Garrison Brooks and Kenny Williams had 10 points apiece for North Carolina, which held a 47-28 rebounding advantage.

Williams improved to 400-115 since returning to his alma mater in 2003, and won his 200th game at the Dean E. Smith Center.

BIG PICTURE

"Our guys gave tremendous effort. I thought we had great focus," coach Nathan Davis said. "I thought they made a few more plays than us, unfortunately, and they were able to win the game."

INJURY REPORT

Johnson will be out until at least late December or early January after having surgery earlier Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Johnson, a graduate transfer from Pittsburgh, has missed both regular-season games, sitting out the opener against Northern Iowa with a neck sprain. Williams said he was hurt during practice Monday when Seventh Woods blocked his fast-break layup and Johnson's knee buckled when he landed. "We hope we'll get him back quicker" than 4-6 weeks, Williams said, "but we're not going to push him."

KEY STAT

UP NEXT

Bucknell: The Bison will try once again to beat a high-profile opponent on its home court when they visit Maryland on Saturday night.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels head across the country to face Stanford on Nov. 20 before heading to Portland, Oregon, for the rest of the PK80, the Nike-sponsored event to honor founder Phil Knight.

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