RJ Davis had 22 points, Ian Jackson scored 15 of his 19 in the second half, and North Carolina avoided an upset bid by Boston College with a 102-96 Atlantic Coast Conference win in Chapel Hill on Saturday.
Seth Trimble finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for North Carolina (13-8, 6-3 ACC), and Jalen Washington tied his career high of 18 points as the Tar Heels snapped a two-game skid in a contest that featured 16 ties and 10 lead changes.
Donald Hand Jr. paced the Eagles with 26 points, Dion Brown tied his season high with 20 points, and Chad Venning finished with 17. Boston College (9-11, 1-8) recorded season-bests in points, made field goals (36) and 3-pointers (14), but it was not enough as the Eagles lost for the sixth straight game.
North Carolina trailed by four with under 30 seconds left in regulation, but Trimble made two free throws then hit a close shot with 18 seconds left to tie the game.
The Tar Heels had a shot at the win after forcing a late turnover by Boston College, but Davis’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer clanged off the rim to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, Trimble made a short shot to give UNC a two-point lead. The Heels then got a stop and drew a foul, setting up two made free throws by Davis. Following another defensive stand, Drake Powell found Ven-Allen Lubin for a game-sealing dunk.
The Tar Heels and Eagles put on an offensive show in the first half, with the two teams shooting 58 and 55 percent from the field, respectively, as UNC took a 46-45 lead into the break.
The back-and-forth nature continued in the second half, again with neither side able to pull away. It appeared as if Boston College would escape with the win after a Venning field goal and a floater from Joshua Beadle put the Eagles on top 89-85 with 26 seconds left.
But after two made free throws from Trimble with 18.9 seconds to go, the Tar Heels forced a five-second violation on the ensuing inbound to take possession. Trimble then connected on a short shot to even the score at 89 and send the game to overtime.
With the game tied at 96, North Carolina clamped down defensively, holding Boston College scoreless over the final two minutes en route to the Heels’ 18th win over the Eagles in the last 19 meetings.
–Field Level Media
