No. 8 Tar Heels hold off Hurricanes 88-85 in overtime

Kenny Williams hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:08 left in overtime to help eighth-ranked North Carolina hold off Miami 88-85 on Saturday.

Freshman Coby White matched his season high with 33 points for the Tar Heels (19-4, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who survived a wild finish filled with big shots by both teams. UNC forced overtime on Luke Maye’s 3-pointer with 10.2 seconds left, then got two critical free throws from Cameron Johnson with 12.3 seconds left in the extra period to cling to a three-point lead.

Miami had a final chance to tie it after a timeout, but White poked the ball loose from Chris Lykes, and Williams dove on the floor to recover the ball for a game-sealing turnover.

Lykes had his own huge game for the Hurricanes (10-13, 2-9), scoring 19 of his 27 points with five 3-pointers after halftime.

BIG PICTURE

Miami: It’s been a rough season for the Hurricanes, who won just once in January. That included an 85-76 home loss to the Tar Heels in a game that was tied at halftime. They seemingly couldn’t miss after halftime in this one, hitting 12 of their 14 3-pointers after halftime while shooting 57 percent in the second half alone. But in the end, the Hurricanes fell to 0-7 against ranked teams this season.

UNC: The Tar Heels have been rolling along since a lopsided home loss to Louisville on Jan. 12, winning the last four games in their six-game winning streak by double-digit margins. That included going for 113 points in Tuesday’s win against rival North Carolina State, which was UNC’s best output in a league game in more than 15 years. Things were bumpy for much of Saturday, though the Tar Heels now have their first 9-1 start in ACC play in 16 seasons under Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams.

UP NEXT

Miami: The Hurricanes host Clemson on Wednesday night.

UNC: The Tar Heels host third-ranked Virginia on Monday night.