Williams helps No. 3 North Carolina beats Radford 95-50

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Kenny Williams III finally had the shooting flurry that third-ranked North Carolina has been waiting to see.

The sophomore had 14 of his career-high 19 points in the opening five minutes, helping the Tar Heels build a huge early lead and beat Radford 95-50 on Sunday.

Williams made his first five shots, including all four 3-point tries, during that opening flurry. Quite a change for a player who was buried on the bench for a veteran team last year, making just 1 of 13 3-pointers and seeing his confidence suffer as a result.

"I've been waiting a year-and-a-half for a game like that," Williams said. "I don't want to say I knew it was coming, but with the confidence I have right now, I kind of expected it."

While Williams' play stood out, the Tar Heels (8-1) got a scare when they lost point guard Joel Berry II to a sprained left ankle early in the second half. The junior, averaging 16 points, came up hobbled as he drove into the paint and fell to the floor. He got up and walked slowly to the locker room for evaluation with 17:36 left, but didn't return to the UNC bench with the Tar Heels up big.

Coach Roy Williams said Berry would have X-rays to confirm the sprain diagnosis and he was hopeful that Berry would be able to practice before Wednesday's game against Davidson.

"We'll have to wait and see what they say (Monday)," Williams said, "but I'm encouraged about it right now."

The Tar Heels (8-1) were coming off a loss at No. 13 Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They had no trouble in this one, running out to an 18-4 lead behind Kenny Williams' opening burst and shooting 57 percent in the first half to build a 51-27 lead by the break.

Justin Cousin scored 14 points to lead the Highlanders (3-5), who shot 31 percent.

"Tough team, man," Radford coach Mike Jones said. "They're so big and physical. We played some good defense inside and they made the shot over us and that's going to happen."

BIG PICTURE

Radford: The Highlanders, picked sixth in the Big South Conference, had no way to slow the Tar Heels' early tear. And that led to a fourth loss by double-digit margins, three coming by at least 21 points. Still, Radford isn't likely to run up against a team such as UNC in the Big South, either.

UNC: The big shooting performance from Williams and Berry's injury stood out here, with the Tar Heels potentially bolstering their perimeter scoring punch while seeing their floor leader go down to an injury.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Tar Heels will slide a bit in the AP Top 25 when the new poll comes out Monday, though losing on the road to a team ranked No. 13 nationally likely won't cause a big drop.

POINT GUARDS

If Berry sits out, senior Nate Britt -- who has played both guard positions in his career -- would appear to be the next man up at the point. Freshman Seventh Woods also will figure into the mix; he had nine points in 22 minutes -- both season highs -- while getting plenty of work after Berry's exit.

WILLIAMS' SHOT

Williams, a 6-foot-4 wing from Midlothian, Virginia, made 5 of 6 3-pointers with a good-looking and confident stroke. Four of those came in the opening minutes, the last one a wide-open look from the left wing that brought Smith Center fans to a roar.

Williams said he worked in the offseason to minimize how much his guide hand pushes on the ball to affect his release.

"He's put in a lot of time," Roy Williams said. "I said even last year when he wasn't putting the ball in the basket that he was going to be a good defensive player and I'm not sure he's not our best perimeter defender right now."

UP NEXT

Radford: The Highlanders host Elon on Saturday.

UNC: The Tar Heels play at home against Davidson on Wednesday night.

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

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