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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.” <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Pitt’s largest lead came when Xavier Johnson blew past Leaky Black for a layup that made it 40-17. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
“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.” <\/p>\n
Brooks led Carolina with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Robinson and Bacot, who both fouled out late, each tallied 12 points. <\/p>\n
The Tar Heels, now 8-9 overall and 1-5 in the ACC, play at Virginia Tech Wednesday.<\/p>\n