CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Ven-Allen Lubin scored 19 points, Jae’Lyn Withers had 11 points and 10 rebounds and North Carolina beat Miami 92-73 on Saturday for its fifth straight victory, the Tar Heels’ longest win streak this season.
Lubin was 9-of-10 from the floor and Withers collected his third double-double this season. Drake Powell added 16 points, RJ Davis 13, Ian Jackson 11 and Seth Trimble 10 for the Tar Heels (19-11, 12-6 ACC), who shot 59%, made 10 of 18 3-pointers and outrebounded the Hurricanes 38-26. Davis went over 2,600 career points, second all-time at UNC behind Tyler Hansbrough.
Matthew Cleveland was 12-of-21 shooting to finish with 25 points for Miami (6-23, 2-16), which lost its fifth straight. Brandon Johnson added 20 points. The Hurricanes shot 43% while putting up 30 3-pointers, making nine.
The Tar Heels took a double-digit lead for good late in the first half and cruised to the victory with two regular-season games left before the ACC Tournament. UNC stretched a 15-point halftime lead to as many as 21.
Led by Withers’ nine points and seven rebounds, nine UNC players scored in the first half in taking a 46-31 lead. The Tar Heels shot 52%, made 7 of 12 from the 3-point line and were plus-nine on the boards. Cleveland had 14 points for the Hurricanes, who led only at 3-0. Trimble hit a pair of 3-pointers to kick off a 12-2 run to end the half for UNC.
North Carolina plays at Virginia Tech on Tuesday and finishes the regular season at home against No. 2 Duke next Saturday.
Miami plays at Georgia Tech on Tuesday and at home against N.C. State next Saturday.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
