CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored 27 points and No. 17 North Carolina ran off 22 unanswered points in the second half to rally past Florida State 78-70 on Saturday in both teams' Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
Armando Bacot added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Tar Heels (7-1, 1-0), who trailed by 14 early after the break after managing just one field goal over nearly 11 minutes of game action. But on a day when the Tar Heels struggled to make outside shots, UNC found its jolt with fullcourt pressure that took the Seminoles out of sync and forced turnovers while providing some needed zip.
That drove up the pace of play, and finally the Tar Heels started giving their home crowd a reason to roar.
Seth Trimble's transition layup finally tied it at 56-all, then freshman Elliot Cadeau followed with the go-ahead layup at the 7:24 mark. UNC stayed on the attack, getting two and-1 scores among five made free throws. And then there were the baskets coming off FSU miscues, notably when FSU's Jamir Watkins tried to inbound the ball to Darin Green Jr. — only to see Green stumble in the paint and leave Davis alone to grab it and score a layup.
By the time the run was over, FSU had missed nine straight shots and gone scoreless for nearly six minutes as UNC had pushed ahead to its own double-digit lead.
Watkins scored 17 points to lead FSU (4-3, 0-1), which made 12 of 28 3-pointers and rode that outside shooting to a 35-29 halftime lead.
BIG PICTURE
FSU: The Seminoles had some momentum after an overtime win against then-ranked Colorado for the Sunshine Slam title on Nov. 21, but they followed by blowing a 17-point lead in the final 7:53 to lose at home to Georgia on a late jumper Wednesday. They looked poised to bounce back with an 18-2 run that included three 3s from Green to take a 45-31 lead before UNC made its run.
UNC: The Tar Heels were coming off a win against No. 10 Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday, which included scoring 61 first-half points and 100 overall against one of the nation's top defenses. The offense didn't come as easily this time, but the Tar Heels found a way to up their energy and intensity to climb back in it.
UP NEXT
FSU: The Seminoles host South Florida next Saturday.
UNC: The Tar Heels face fifth-ranked and reigning NCAA champion Connecticut in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
