CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Interstat) — Caleb Wilson scored 22 points and North Carolina used a dominant second-half surge to pull away from Notre Dame for a 91-69 victory in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball on Wednesday night at the Dean Smith Center.

The Tar Heels, rebounding from consecutive road losses at Stanford and California, improved to 15-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. The Fighting Irish dropped their fourth straight game, falling to 10-9 and 0-6 in conference play.

North Carolina led 42-33 at halftime but broke the game open with a 20-7 run to start the second half. The burst was fueled by the interior presence of Henri Veesaar and the perimeter shooting of Derek Dixon. Veesaar, the 7-foot sophomore from Estonia, scored seven points during the run, including a 3-pointer, while Dixon added a pair of 3s. When Dixon connected from deep with 18:20 remaining, the Tar Heels led 50-37 and never looked back, stretching their advantage to as many as 26 points.

The most important part of the game was North Carolina’s immediate and overwhelming response to start the second half. After a first half where Notre Dame stayed within single digits despite poor shooting, the Tar Heels came out of the locker room with a decisive 14-4 spurt in the first four minutes. This explosive start extinguished any hope of an Irish comeback, establishing a pace and offensive efficiency that Notre Dame could not match. The sequence transformed a competitive contest into a comfortable cruise for the home team, showcasing North Carolina’s superior firepower and effectively deciding the outcome long before the final buzzer.

Wilson, a 6-foot-10 sophomore from Atlanta, was the catalyst throughout, adding five assists and showcasing his versatility. He was one of five Tar Heels to score in double figures. Veesaar finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Dixon scored 11, all in the first half, while Kyan Evans added nine points off the bench. Luka Bogavac contributed nine points and three assists.

Notre Dame was led by Sir Mohammed’s 14 points and Ryder Frost’s 10. The Irish struggled mightily on offense, shooting just 36% from the field and 32% from 3-point range. They were also hampered by 13 missed free throws, finishing 7 of 13 at the line.

North Carolina’s offense operated with high efficiency, scoring 91 points on just 72 possessions for an offensive rating of 126.5. The Tar Heels shot 50.8% from the field and connected on 13 of 34 3-point attempts. They also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 16 of 23.

Notre Dame’s effort was evident on the glass, where they grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, but they could not convert those extra chances, managing only five assists as a team against a stifling Tar Heel defense that recorded five blocks.

The game was played before a crowd of 19,686. North Carolina entered as a heavy favorite according to analytics projections and covered the pregame spread with ease. The total score of 160 points sailed over the posted over/under line of 145.5.

North Carolina looks to build momentum when it travels to face Virginia on Saturday. Notre Dame returns home to host Boston College on Saturday, still in search of its first ACC win.