MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The North Carolina Tar Heels may have come out winners in the inaugural Hoops for St. Jude Tip-Off Classic, beating Memphis 84-76, but the real winners were the children at St. Jude Children's Hospital.
More than 8,700 tickets were sold for the event with all proceeds going to the hospital.
The Tar Heels were without All-American RJ Davis who was nursing a back injury, but it was Seth Trimble who proved to be the leader the Heels needed. Trimble had 33 points to lead all scorers, including shooting 3-of-5 from three-point range. Trimble added three assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Elliott Cadeau posted a double-double, 11 points and 13 assists.
Memphis was left out of the AP Top 25 to start the year, but proved they could hang with the best of the best. Memphis led for most of the first half, including taking 39-36 lead into halftime.
In the second half, North Carolina took control. They started the half on a 12-3 run to take a 48-42 lead into a timeout. They never relinquished the lead and led by as many as 15 points.
Memphis was led by PJ Haggerty who had 24 points and 9 rebounds. Colby Rogers and Nick Jourdain both added 11 points, while Jourdain chipped in nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
The Tigers will hold one more exhibition against Alabama in the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville, Alabama, on Octt. 28. The season opener will be Nov. 4 against Missouri in the FedExForum.
