NO. 8 NORTH CAROLINA HOLDS OFF SYRACUSE

Brice Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 8 North Carolina beat Syracuse 7570 on Monday in its home finale.

Joel Berry II added 13 points and two key late free throws for the Tar Heels (24-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led by as many as 13 points after halftime but had trouble putting the game away against Syracuse’s zone. Berry’s two free throws with 6.6 seconds left made it a two-possession game, helping North Carolina hang on to first place in the ACC. Michael Gbinije scored 17 points to lead the Orange (19-11, 9-8).