Ian Jackson scored 23 points as North Carolina snapped a four-game road losing streak with an 88-82 victory over host Syracuse on Saturday.
Jae’Lyn Withers chipped in 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting while RJ Davis notched 16 points for the Tar Heels (15-11, 8-6 Atlantic Coast Conference). Jackson finished with five 3-pointers on the night as North Carolina made 13 of 28 long-range attempts as a team.
Syracuse (11-15, 5-10) lost for the sixth time in eight games despite getting 26 points and 11 rebounds from Eddie Lampkin. JJ Starling kept the Orange close down the stretch before finishing with 22 points.
Jackson entered the contest with 11 total points in his previous three games, during which he shot 2-for-17 from the field. However, he was a totally different player in the first half on Saturday, going 6-for-9 from the floor (4-for-6 from beyond the arc) for 16 points.
North Carolina led by as many as 11 early in the second half before Syracuse finally caught up at 60-60. Shortly thereafter, the game was tied at 62 when Jackson made a 3-pointer to give the visitors the lead for good.
Two three-point plays by Withers and a 3-pointer by Davis helped increase the North Carolina lead to 78-68 with 4:47 left. However, Syracuse kept fighting, drawing within 82-80 on Lampkin’s two free throws with 1:01 to play.
Elliot Cadeau then made a big play on the other end, spinning away from Jaquan Carlos for a lefty layup with 39 seconds left. Davis and Drake Powell each made two free throws down the stretch to seal the win for the Tar Heels.
The game got off to a quiet start, as North Carolina led 4-2 after four minutes. Syracuse didn’t reach double figures until about 11 1/2 minutes remained in the first half, and the Orange didn’t cross the 20-point plateau until there was 4:53 left in the opening session.
The game was tied at 19 before the Tar Heels scored 12 of the next 14 points. That burst started and ended with 3-pointers by Jackson, who added another triple in the final minute of the first half to put North Carolina ahead 42-34 at the break.
–Field Level Media
