Seminoles come up short
First ACC loss stops winning streak at 12
Florida State knew it would need a flawless performance to push past powerful North Carolina on the Tar Heels’ home floor.
UNC, however, was the closest to perfection during a collision of ACC powers Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina kept shifting in and out of small lineups, driving to the rim and heading to the boards on every shot.
Being down a big man and facing a highly ranked opponent with more size didn’t deter the 11th-ranked Tar Heels, either.
“That’s our knack really,” junior swingman Theo Pinson said, “just go out there and compete.”
Orlando Lake Highland Prep grad Joel Berry II scored 26 points and UNC snapped No. 9 Florida State’s school-record win streak with a 96-83 victory Saturday, playing with an aggressive edge they needed to hold off the Seminoles before finally pulling away late.
Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks each added 22 points for the Tar Heels (16-3, 4-1 ACC), who led just 82-78 with 5:25 left before putting together a 14-2 run.
“We wanted to win a game like this,” Berry said.
The Tar Heels had to do it a bit differently, too. Sophomore reserve Luke Maye played a major role with a career-high 15 rebounds as fouls mounted on Hicks and Kennedy Meeks inside.
At one point during the first half, UNC had a fivewing lineup that left the 6-foot-6, 211-pound Pinson to wrestle with 7-1, 304-pound center Michael Ojo — Pinson ended up on the floor at least once — in a combination that coach Roy Williams said was probably the first time he has ever gone without a true 5-man.
But the Tar Heels finished with a 56-34 rebounding advantage with 21 offensive boards, helping them to 25 secondchance points in a rebounding effort FSU coach Leonard Hamilton described as “relentless.” That fit right into an attacking mindset that got the Tar Heels to the line 37 times.
Jonathan Isaac had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Seminoles (16-2, 4-1), who had won 12 in a row and stood at 4-0 in the ACC for the first time in their history.
“They did a much better job of sticking to who they are and playing through themselves and executing their game plan better than we did,” Hamilton said. “They really, really showed up big on the boards. And we had very little resistance.”
FSU trailed 50-41 on Berry’s 3-pointer just before the halftime horn, and then fell behind by 11 on the first possession after the break. The Seminoles got as close as three points three times, the last coming with about 61⁄2 minutes left.
“I feel like we stuck in it for most of the game,” sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon said, “but the last five minutes, they just drained us.”
The Seminoles continue their gauntlet of ranked opponents Wednesday, hosting No. 20 Notre Dame.