For most of the day, Florida State was right there with No. 8 North Carolina on Saturday in Chapel Hill, but the 16th-ranked Seminoles had no answer for a big second half run as the Tar Heels cruised to a 77-59 victory to end FSU’s 8-game winning streak.
North Carolina (22-5, 12-2 ACC) led by as many as 13 in the first half, but a 16-6 FSU run to end the half had the lead at 37-34 at the break. After FSU (21-6, 9-5 ACC) closed the gap to 56-52 in the second half with a 3-pointer from RaiQuan Gray with 10:33 left in the game, the Tar Heels responded with a 16-1 run to put the contest out of reach.
Cameron Johnson and Nasir Little each scored a game-high 18 points to lead North Carolina. Johnson added 10 rebounds and shot 3-for-4 from deep. Once 2-for-11 from downtown in the contest, North Carolina made five of its final nine 3-point attempts. Johnson was one of two Tar Heels to record a double-double, adding 10 rebounds.
Luke Maye finished with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for North Carolina. UNC held a healthy 47-32 advantage over Florida State on the glass. Coby White added 10 points in the victory.
David Nichols came off the bench to lead FSU with 16 points. Terance Mann was the only other Seminole in double-figures, scoring 10 points to go with a game-high six assists. Mann was 4-for-6 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep.
Mann and Nichols shot a combined 8-for-16 while the rest of the team combined to go just 10-for-43. 10 of Florida State’s 18 made field goals were treys, but the Seminoles shot just 31 percent from the field and 10-for-31 from distance. North Carolina shot 43 percent as a team and 7 of 20 from beyond the arc.
After three straight road games, FSU will look to get back on track Monday night when it begins a 3-game homestand against Notre Dame. The Tar Heels will host Syracuse on Tuesday.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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