CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In its first game in program history against the No. 1 team in the nation, the Wofford men's basketball team gave a valiant effort but fell short at North Carolina, 78-58, Wednesday night inside the Smith Center.
                           
Wofford played a strong first half to trail by just five. The top-ranked Tar Heels scored the first six points of the second half to open up a double-digit lead, but Wofford hung with it, using a 16-8 run to make it a one-possession game. Jaylen Allen's layup brought it to 50-47 with 13 minutes to play.
 
North Carolina struck right back and Wofford couldn't quite come up with another answer. An Isaiah Hicks dunk brought the Smith Center crowd to its feet, sparking an 8-0 run that pushed the Tar Heels back in front by 11.
 
Wofford (0-2) only got within eight from there. An 11-point game with 6:49 left grew to as much as 20 on the game's final bucket.
 
"I'm thrilled with how hard we played and how competitive we were," said head coach Mike Young. "I told the guys after the game that I've never gotten my tail whipped by 20, as we did at Duke last year, and felt good about our team. They feel good about themselves and that's the only thing that matters."
 
Allen scored a team-high 15 points, going 6-of-12 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. He came up one point short of his career-high of 16, which he set last December 3 against Presbyterian.
 
Seniors Justin Gordon, Spencer Collins and freshman Fletcher Magee joined Allen in double figures. Senior CJ Neumann grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
 
For UNC, Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson and Joel Berry II scored a game-high 16 points apiece. Johnson added a game-high 14 boards for a double-double.
 
North Carolina outshot Wofford 52 percent to 40 percent, including 55 percent to 36 percent in the second half. UNC's biggest advantage was on the glass, outrebounding Wofford 42-25.
 
Gordon connected on Wofford's first shot attempt of the game to get the Terriers on the board first. Garcia followed with a triple on the next possession for an early 5-2 Wofford lead.
 
North Carolina quickly turned it around. Brice Johnson scored six straight Tar Heel points, followed by four from Berry II and eight straight off the hands of Kennedy Meeks. It turned the game in favor of the nation's top team, 18-11. The margin grew to 10, 28-18, with 8:01 left in the opening half.
 
Wofford found a way to get back in the game with its defense. The Terriers held UNC scoreless for nearly four minutes, climbing back with a pair of triples from Collins and Magee. Gordon worked inside for another bucket that closed an 11-2 run with Wofford down a single point, 29-28.
 
Wofford did not score in the final three minutes of the opening half, but limited UNC to just four points. After the first 20 minutes of Wofford's first game against the No. 1 team, the margin was just five.
 
The Tar Heels powered their way to victory in the second half. They outscored Wofford 50-18 in the paint.
 
Wofford hosts Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday for the home opener. Tip is scheduled for noon inside Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
Terrier Notes:
- The game was Wofford's first in program history against the No. 1 team in the AP Poll.
- The Tar Heels move to 3-0 in the all-time series against Wofford. It was the first meeting between the two teams since 1926.
- It was Wofford's second of four games as part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
- Attendance was 12,095 at the Smith Center.