RJ Davis led six Tar Heels in double figures with 20 points and lesser-used players came up big in a full team effort as North Carolina tripped up Florida State In Tallahassee 96-85l. (2/24)
“Everyone contributed today,” Davis said. “That was the kind of team win we need.” It was the six straight Carolina win over Florida State and it was the fourth straight Carolina win since Coach Hubert Davis went to a larger lineup.
“We’ve cut down on mistakes on both sides of the basketball court,” Coach Davis said of the recent streak. “We’ve cut down on turnovers and gotten better shot selection. With the bigger lineup we’ve been scoring more in the paint and rebounding the basketball better.”
He said he would be even happier if his team could play defense without fouling. Big men Ven-Allen Lubin and Jalen Washington each got in foul trouble and Florida State was 21 of 28 from the free throw line.
In the first half, it looked as if it would be a closer game as there were seven ties and Florida State was hot from the field, hitting 62.5 percent from the floor with star Jamir Watkins scoring 18 of his game-high 26 points.
But an 8-0 Carolina run late in the half, highlighted by back-to-back buckets from Cade Tyson, helped the Tar Heels get up by eight and settle for a 49-43 haltime edge.
The Tar Heels extended the lead to 14 in the first three minutes at 61-47 following threes by Davis and Eliott Cadeau.
Florida State briefly cut the margin to six as the Seminoles got to the line often and drained six second half threes (10 for the game) despite being next to last in the ACC in three-point shooting.
But Carolina pushed the lead back to double figures after seven straight points by Davis, Seth Trimble and Cadeau as the lead eventually ballooned to 16 points at 87-71.
Joining Davis in double figures were Trimble (17), Jae’lyn Withers (11), Cadeau (10), Lubin (10) and Washington (10).
The Tar Heels outrebounded the taller Seminoles and the aggressive Carolina players came up with 24 second-chance points compared to just six for Florida State.
The Seminoles fall to 16-12 and 7-10 in the conference. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels, who host Miami Saturday, improve to 18-11 and 11-6 in the ACC.