North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson did something tonight only one other player did in this storied program’s history, and that is Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham.
History Made At Historical Program
Johnson, a senior for the Tar Heels, finished the game with a career-high 39 points (14-of-16) and 23 rebounds, as the sixth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels would defeat the Florida State Seminoles on the road, 106-90.
Not to put a damper on this amazing accomplishment, but Cunningham put together two such games back in 1964 with 40 points and 28 rebounds against Maryland, and 48 points and 25 rebounds against Tulane.
“That was a man’s night,” said North Carolina coach Roy Williams. “I’ve had guys, Nick Collison against Duke one time had 20 points, 20 rebounds. Same thing against Texas. Sean May, last game of the regular season over 20 points and rebounds. … But this about as good as any I’ve seen. Particularly on the road.”
“Man, can’t really put into perspective. It was a great night for me,” said Brice Johnson. “I was looking at the rebounds the entire time. I kept telling myself I wanted more than 20. It’s always been a goal I had.”
Lost in this unbelievable game was the performance from guard Marcus Paige, who finished the game with 30 points (10-of-21), five rebounds and five assists. Paige was lethal from distance has he knocked down five three-pointers.
Early Punch Helps Tar Heels
North Carolina would come out and hit Florida State in the mouth with a 15-3 run. The Seminoles started an atrocious 1-for-12 from the field to start, including 0-for-6 from their sensational freshman Dwayne Bacon. Florida State would get going and stormed back as they were down only four at halftime, 41-37. Xavier Rathan-Mayes carried the Seminoles offense as he scored 19 points in the first half, including 13 straight points to end the half.
Florida State would completely dig themselves out of the hole and take a 56-55 lead with 15:48 remaining. It was short lived as North Carolina would go on an 11-2 run, including nine straight points from Brice Johnson. The Seminoles would make it a game once again as they got it as close as two at 72-70, but the Tar Heels didn’t crumble and they pulled away and won, 106-90.
Rathan-Mayes Performance Lost In Defeat
Xavier Rathan-Mayes finished the game with 30 points and knocked down seven three-pointers. Dwayne Bacon added 18 points and seven rebounds, while Malik Beasley had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Domination On Both Ends By UNC
The Tar Heels dominated the boards 50-to-33, including 18 on the offensive glass. They also finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field. It was Florida State’s 10 made three-pointers that kept this game close for a time.
North Carolina is now 14-2 on the season, including 3-0 in ACC play. Florida State is 10-4 and has lost both of their games in ACC play.
Up Next
North Carolina will head on the road and face the Syracuse Orange on Saturday. Florida State will try and grab their first ACC win on Saturday when they hit the road to face the 12th-ranked Miami Hurricanes.