SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Freshman Ian Jackson tied his career high with five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, Jae’Lyn Wither scored a season-high 19 on 7-of-10 shooting and North Carolina beat Syracuse 88-82 on Saturday night.
RJ Davis added 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block for North Carolina (15-11, 8-6 ACC).
J.J. Starling converted a three-point play and then made two free throws before Eddie Lampkin Jr. hit two foul shots to cap a 7-1 spurt that cut the Orange’s deficit to 82-80 with 1:01 to play but Elliot Cadeau answered with a layup and Davis followed with two free throws to make it a six-point game with 25 seconds remaining.
Lampkin led the Orange with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Starling scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half. Lucas Taylor finished with 10 points.
The Tar Heels have won four games in a row against Syracuse (11-15, 5-10).
Drake Powell hit a 3-pointer that gave UNC a 56-46 lead five minutes into the second half but Lampkin answered with a dunk that sparked a 14-4 run that made it 60-all when Starling converted a three-point play. Starling scored 11 points in the spurt.
Withers made a jumper in the paint and the converted a pair of three-point plays all in a span of 54 seconds to give North Carolina a 73-64 lead with 7:26 remaining. Davis hit a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 10 with four minutes left.
Syracuse hits the road to play Tuesday at Pittsburgh. North Carolina returns home to face in-state rival N.C. State on Wednesday.