CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Brice Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 8 North Carolina beat Syracuse 75-70 on Monday night in its home finale.
Joel Berry II added 13 points and two key late free throws for the Tar Heels (24-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led by as many as 13 points after halftime but had plenty of trouble putting the game away against Syracuse's zone.
UNC led by just a point near the 2-minute mark, but Isaiah Hicks and Johnson came up with big baskets to help the Tar Heels stay in control. Berry's two free throws with 6.6 seconds left made it a two-possession game, helping UNC hang on to first place in the ACC.
Michael Gbinije scored 17 points to lead the Orange (19-11, 9-8), who shot 41 percent and made 5 of 20 3-point tries.
