No. 18 North Carolina 73, Miami (Fla.) 64: Brice Johnson recorded 16 of his 22 points in the second half and grabbed 11 rebounds as the visiting Tar Heels defeated the Hurricanes in an ACC contest.

Marcus Paige drained three 3-pointers to score 17 for North Carolina (20-9, 10-6 ACC), which snapped a four-game losing streak against Miami. Justin Jackson scored 11 while J.P. Tokoto chipped in with 10 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Tar Heels, who had a 42-28 edge on the boards.

Sheldon McClellan and Ivan Cruz Uceda each scored 11 points while Ja’Quan Newton and Manu Lecomte added 10 apiece for the Hurricanes (18-11, 8-8). Miami’s second-leading scorer Angel Rodriguez played sparingly and did not score due to a sore right wrist sustained Wednesday against Florida State.

Tokoto scored nine points as North Carolina led by as many as nine twice in the first half before McClellan helped bring Miami back within 32-30 at intermission. The Tar Heels scored the first six of the second half – four by Johnson – but the Hurricanes rallied as Cruz Uceda drained two straight 3-pointers for a 48-47 lead with 11 1/2 minutes left.

North Carolina responded with eight of the next 10 points, capped by a Johnson transition layup for a 55-50 edge with 6:36 remaining. Miami pulled within three before two straight dunks by Johnson and a basket by Paige made it 63-54 with 2:22 to go and gave the Tar Heels the cushion they needed.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Tar Heels have won at least 20 games in 42 of the last 45 seasons and 11 straight under coach Roy Williams. … Miami C Tonye Jekiri, the ACC’s leading rebounder, grabbed seven boards to go along with six points and three blocks. … Paige has made 199 career 3-pointers, passing Hubert Davis (197) for sixth on North Carolina’s all-time list.