Davis sets Smith Center record in win against Miami
Eighth-ranked UCLA moves into a three-way tie for second place in Pac-12
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After a huge first half, RJ Davis saw no reason to back off.
Davis poured in four straight 3-pointers during a riveting second-half stretch on his way to a career-high 42 points, and No. 9 North Carolina held off skidding Miami 75-71 on Monday night.
“I kind of felt good most of the game,” Davis said. “Came out hot. I told myself since I had a good first half to continue to stay on it. I was aggressive and shots were falling. For me to have a performance like that tonight means the world to me.”
Davis, a senior guard who set a single-game Smith Center scoring record, had 21 points in each half. He picked up the pace with a dazzling display with less than 7½ minutes to play and ended up shooting 7 for 11 on 3s.
The only player for the Tar Heels (22-6, 14-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) to score in double figures, Davis went 1 for 2 at the free-throw line with 24.4 seconds remaining to give UNC a 73-70 advantage.
“It wasn’t just his points,” coach Hubert Davis said. “I thought he was great defensively, took care of the ball. We needed every bit of his 42.”
Norchad Omier had 22 points, Bensley Joseph scored 21 and Kyshawn George added 14 to lead Miami (15-14, 6-12), which lost its seventh game in a row.
NO. 15 BAYLOR 62, TCU 54: In Fort Worth, Texas, Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi both scored 16 points as Baylor pulled away in the second half for a road win at TCU.
In doing so, the Bears (20-8, 9-6) snapped a two-game losing streak and moved up to fourth place in the hotly contested Big 12.
Jameer Nelson Jr. led the Horned Frogs (19-9, 8-7) with 11 points.
Women
NO. 8 UCLA 53, NO. 13 COLORADO 45:
In Los Angeles, Kiki Rice had 20 points and nine rebounds, Charisma Osborne added 14 and UCLA defeated Colorado, moving the Bruins into a three-way tie for second in the Pac-12.
Newly returned to the top 10 in the AP rankings, the Bruins (22-5, 11-5) blew a 12-point, first-half lead before recovering in the third behind their two guards.
Scoreless in the first half, Quay Miller ignited a 13-2 run for the Buffaloes to open the third, capped by Tameiya Sadler’s steal and basket for a 32-31 lead, their first of the game. The Bruins committed seven turnovers in seven minutes.
Londynn Jones came in and scored five in a row, Rice made two free throws and Osborne scored to send UCLA into the fourth leading 40-35.
Lauren Betts, whose field-goal percentage leads Division I, was scoreless until the fourth, when her basket extended UCLA’s lead to 44-35. Her two points tied a season low.