UNC's Armando Bacot, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds, works his way through traffic. (UNC Athletic Communications)

Pain continues as Heels fall at Pittsburgh

North Carolina shot 31 percent and turned the ball over 16 times as Pittsburgh raced out to a 23-point lead and held on for a 66-52 victory over the flailing Tar Heels.

Carolina, now 8-9, fell below .500 at this point in a season for the first time since the Matt Doherty-led Heels of 2002 that went 8-20.

The Tar Heels led 5-4 early but that was it as Pitt controlled the game. During an eight-minute stretch in the first half, Carolina turned the ball over eight times, including on five straight possessions.

“Turnovers early set us so far back,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “The turnovers put us back on our heels to the point we couldn’t get back.”

Midway through the half, Pitt got a double-digit lead on a Ryan Murphy three that made it 21-10. UNC never got closer than 10 the rest of the game – that coming with 1:45 left in the game when Andrew Platek passed to Garrison Brooks who dunked it to make the score 62-52.

In the next 30 seconds though, Brooks lost control of the ball for UNC’s 16th turnover and Armando Bacot fouled out for the already short-handed Tar Heels.

Pitt’s largest lead came when Xavier Johnson blew past Leaky Black for a layup that made it 40-17.

The Tar Heels, who went to a zone defense, got chances in the second half but couldn’t make shots. The 20-point halftime deficit proved too much to overcome.

“It’s not pleasant. It’s not a good feeling after the game,” Williams said of the recent failures. “We’ll play again Tuesday or Wednesday, whenever it is.”

Brooks led Carolina with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Robinson and Bacot, who both fouled out late, each tallied 12 points.

The Tar Heels, now 8-9 overall and 1-5 in the ACC, play at Virginia Tech Wednesday.

Box score

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