The Daily Nole

Tar Heels Explode Late to Top FSU, 96-83

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For most of the day in Chapel Hill, No. 9 Florida State refused to go away. A North Carolina run that started with less than five minutes to play however, was too much to overcome as the 11th-ranked Tar Heels snapped FSU’s 12-game winning streak on Saturday, 96-83.

North Carolina (16-3, 4-1 ACC) used big runs to close both halves and hand FSU its first ACC loss. The Tar Heels opened the game on a 7-0 run and led by as many as nine in the first half, but an Xavier Rathan-Mayes jumper with four minutes to play evened the game at 37-37. The Tar Heels however, would close the half on a 13-4 run, thanks to eight points from Joel Berry.

Berry finished with a game-high 26 points. Forwards Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks each chipped in with 22 points for North Carolina. Theo Pinson added 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the victory.

Florida State (16-2, 4-1 ACC) trailed by 11 twice during the early parts of the second half, but looked on the verge of making it a nail-biter. The game seemed to turn with 4:41 to play as Rathan-Mayes went to the line with a chance to cut into North Carolina’s 82-78 lead. Rathan-Mayes missed both free throws, which spearheaded the Tar Heels’ 14-2 run that wasn’t broken until a late 3-pointer from P.J. Savoy.

Missed opportunities for the Seminoles and second chance opportunities for North Carolina was the story on Saturday. FSU outshot North Carolina from the field, 46 percent to 43 percent, but went just 12-for-26 from the foul line — also 46 percent. North Carolina made good on 26 of its 37 free throw attempts.

The Tar Heels also got the better of FSU on the glass, finishing with 56 rebounds to the Seminoles’ 34. 21 of those boards for North Carolina came on the offensive glass. North Carolina’s Luke Maye finished with a game-high 15 rebounds.

Leading the scoring effort for FSU on Saturday was Dwayne Bacon, who finished with 18 points. Freshman forward Jonathan Isaac recorded his third career double-double with 17 points and team-highs of 12 rebounds and three steals. Savoy and Terance Mann each added 10 points in the loss.

After winning 12 straight, Florida State will look to avoid its first losing streak of the season as the Seminoles return home to face the last remaining team undefeated in ACC play in Notre Dame. The Tar Heels will look to run their winning streak to five on Monday as they host Syracuse.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

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