Miami

Johnson Scores 22 to Help No. 13 Tar Heels Beat Miami 85-76

Cameron Johnson scored 22 points, including 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the closing minutes, and No. 13 North Carolina won a seesaw game Saturday against Miami 85-76.

The Tar Heels shot 55 percent, including 9 for 20 from beyond the arc, and showed why they're ranked second in the nation in rebounds by grabbing a 38-23 advantage on the boards.

North Carolina (14-4, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) earned its third road win in the league. The Hurricanes (9-8, 1-4) remained winless in three games against ranked teams this season.

There were 18 lead changes, the last with 17 minutes to go. But Miami cut the margin to a point twice in the closing minutes, and each time Johnson responded with a 3-pointer from the corner.

Kenny Williams then added a pair of 3-pointers, giving the Tar Heels four treys in a span of five possessions to increase their lead to 75-67 with four minutes to go.

All four 3-pointers were shot over Miami's 5-foot-7 Chris Lykes.

Williams finished with 16 points and seven assists. Coby White added 15 points and eight assists, and Luke Maye had 14 points and nine rebounds.

Lykes had 20 points and six assists.

The Hurricanes led in the second half for the 16th time in 17 games, with their final advantage at 46-45. White hit Garrison Brooks with an alley-oop pass for a dunk that put the Tar Heels ahead to stay.

STILL OUT

Miami junior forward Dewan Hernandez again sat out. He has yet to play this season because of an eligibility issue, and the Hurricanes had hoped for a final ruling this week.

BIG PICTURE

The Tar Heels, who have been ranked as high as seventh and as low as 15th, are flirting with the Top Ten again.

The game was announced as a sellout, but there were hundreds of empty seats in the Hurricanes' 8,000-seat arena. The student section was sparsely populated for the noon start on a sunny, 75-degree afternoon.

UP NEXT

North Carolina plays host to Virginia Tech on Monday. A year ago the Hokies upset the Tar Heels, who were ranked 10th at the time.

The Hurricanes, who haven't won an away game since November, play Thursday at Syracuse.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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