Jan 30, 2016
No. 2 UNC tops BC; wins 12th straight
Brice Johnson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 2 North Carolina beat Boston College 89-62 on Saturday for its 12th straight win.
TSN.ca Staff
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Brice Johnson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 2 North Carolina beat Boston College 89-62 on Saturday for its 12th straight win.
Marcus Paige had 12 points in his highest-scoring game in three weeks while Joel Berry II added 13 points for the Tar Heels (19-2, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
After shaking off a slow start, the ACC leaders routed its last-place team by forcing 23 turnovers and turning them into 30 points.
Eli Carter had 19 points to lead the Eagles (7-14, 0-7).
They shot 44 per cent and hit 10 3-pointers but couldn't overcome that season-worst turnover total while losing both their eighth straight overall and eighth in a row in the series.
The Tar Heels took care of the easy part of their schedule, and now things are about to get tougher, starting with Monday's trip to No. 16 Louisville. After facing no team ranked in the AP Top 25 through their first eight ACC games, the Tar Heels will have six against teams currently ranked during the month of February.
For Paige, a few shots finally started to fall.
He finished 4 of 9 and was 3 of 8 from 3-point range, a drastic improvement over his last few games. He was 5 of 35 from the field and 1 of 22 from 3-point range during the four games that followed his 30-point outburst at Florida State on Jan. 4. He swished the first 3 he tried in this one, then glanced a look of relief toward the Smith Center roof.
North Carolina took control of this one late in the first half, reeling off 15 straight points to build a comfortable lead. Johnson hit a jumper from the key one possession before he capped the run with two free throws that made it 39-23 with 3:45 left.
Berry then pushed the lead into the 20s for the first time with his three-point play made it 50-30 with 15:03 to play.
TIP-INS
Boston College: The Eagles started what might be the toughest three-game conference road swing in the country. After this one, they go to No. 11 Virginia and No. 16 Louisville. Those three have an average rank of No. 6 in Ken Pomeroy's advanced stat rankings.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels forced a season-most turnovers. ... They missed their first eight free throws and nine of their first 10. ... Kennedy Meeks did not start because he was late to the team's shoot-around. Isaiah Hicks started in his place, while Meeks finished with eight points in 15 minutes.
UP NEXT
Boston College: visits No. 11 Virginia on Wednesday night.
North Carolina: visits No. 16 Louisville on Monday night.
Marcus Paige had 12 points in his highest-scoring game in three weeks while Joel Berry II added 13 points for the Tar Heels (19-2, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
After shaking off a slow start, the ACC leaders routed its last-place team by forcing 23 turnovers and turning them into 30 points.
Eli Carter had 19 points to lead the Eagles (7-14, 0-7).
They shot 44 per cent and hit 10 3-pointers but couldn't overcome that season-worst turnover total while losing both their eighth straight overall and eighth in a row in the series.
The Tar Heels took care of the easy part of their schedule, and now things are about to get tougher, starting with Monday's trip to No. 16 Louisville. After facing no team ranked in the AP Top 25 through their first eight ACC games, the Tar Heels will have six against teams currently ranked during the month of February.
For Paige, a few shots finally started to fall.
He finished 4 of 9 and was 3 of 8 from 3-point range, a drastic improvement over his last few games. He was 5 of 35 from the field and 1 of 22 from 3-point range during the four games that followed his 30-point outburst at Florida State on Jan. 4. He swished the first 3 he tried in this one, then glanced a look of relief toward the Smith Center roof.
North Carolina took control of this one late in the first half, reeling off 15 straight points to build a comfortable lead. Johnson hit a jumper from the key one possession before he capped the run with two free throws that made it 39-23 with 3:45 left.
Berry then pushed the lead into the 20s for the first time with his three-point play made it 50-30 with 15:03 to play.
TIP-INS
Boston College: The Eagles started what might be the toughest three-game conference road swing in the country. After this one, they go to No. 11 Virginia and No. 16 Louisville. Those three have an average rank of No. 6 in Ken Pomeroy's advanced stat rankings.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels forced a season-most turnovers. ... They missed their first eight free throws and nine of their first 10. ... Kennedy Meeks did not start because he was late to the team's shoot-around. Isaiah Hicks started in his place, while Meeks finished with eight points in 15 minutes.
UP NEXT
Boston College: visits No. 11 Virginia on Wednesday night.
North Carolina: visits No. 16 Louisville on Monday night.