Johnson Scores 39 To Lead No. 6 UNC Past Florida State

The Seminoles climbed back from an early double-digit deficit against No. 6 North Carolina thanks to a heroic 30-point performance from sophomore guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes, but they failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities in the second half of a 106-90 loss.

Cunningham, a Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer, did it twice in 1964 with 40 points and 28 rebounds against Maryland on January 13, and 48 points and 25 rebounds against Tulane on December 10.

Virginia is living up to its reputation as a hard-nosed squad (eighth in Division I in scoring defense) and ranks as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country (13th), but the recent emergence of 7-foot reserve center Mike Tobey may be giving it yet another dimension.

The Orangeburg native made history, as the first ACC player to score 30 points and grab 20 rebounds in a game in the last 20 years.

“I don’t think that we’re good enough for it to be pure basketball”, Williams said (via the Richmond Times-Dispatch). “Particularly on the road”.

UNC would out-rebound FSU, 50-33, and outscore the Seminoles, 50-30, in the paint.

Dwayne Bacon had 18 points and seven rebounds and Malik Beasley added 15 points and eight boards for the Seminoles (10-4, 0-2 ACC) at Donald L. Tucker Center. “That was the biggest thing”, Johnson said. “I was looking at the rebounds the entire time“.

Eric: If it does impact the chances of the team going far, which I think it will to a lesser extent, we won’t know until after the season is over. “It’s always been a goal I had”. North Carolina trailed by nine points in the first half but regrouped in the second half behind the hot hand of sophomore guard Joel Berry II who finished with a career-high 19 points.

The Sooners, using a career-high 46 points from senior guard Buddy Hield, led by as many as 12 points in the second half after storming from behind to gain a four-point halftime lead. When the Seminoles (10-4, 0-2) crept back to make it a two-point game with 10 ½ minutes remaining, Johnson answered on the other end and Paige followed with a jump shot to put the Tar Heels back ahead by six. The victory capped the Blue Devils’ 14-0 run through the league; they’d claim the ACC tournament a week later and go on to reach the Final Four.

Sophie Brunner scored 12 points and Arizona State held Stanford to its lowest point total ever. Despite that string of success, however, UVA squeaked out four of those victories by four points or less, including a pair of late comeback wins the past two seasons in Blacksburg.

“Johnson, a 6’10” senior, entered the game averaging 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

“Bright lights, whenever you see North Carolina there’s just kind of a switch that turns on”. “I was lucky enough to have my dad (former Florida State standout Tharon Mayes) come here for this game”.

UNC: The Tar Heels have won six straight over the Seminoles….

It was the first time North Carolina scored over 100 points on the road since February 1, 2011, against Boston College.

North Carolina would come out and hit Florida State in the mouth with a 15-3 run.