Orange fall to North Carolina in Chapel Hill, 75-70

Kennedy Meeks scored six of UNC’s next eight points to push the lead back to 11 with 9:47 left.

The Tar Heels opened the second half with a show of force, outscoring SU 12-3 to take control at 50-37 with just over five minutes elapsed. In their final home game, Paige and Johnson were instrumental in the game’s critical moments on Monday night. A couple possessions later, Cooney buried two from the stripe to pull Syracuse within 62-59 with seven minutes to go. Syracuse shot much better from the closer line to help stay in the game, connecting on 19-of-23 from the foul line.

The North Carolina Tar Heels (23-6) are coming from a 79-74 loss to the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday. UNC failed to cinch the game on the next possession but Gbinije obliged UNC with a miss on a drive to the basket. Less than two minutes later, after the Tar Heels had extended their lead to 73-68 and appeared to have the game won, Gbinije stole the ball from Paige, and raced down the court for the easy layup to bring Syracuse within three with just 44 seconds remaining. He posted nine points and 11 rebounds. The Orange bounced back with a half dozen markers of their own, started by Richardson making two out of three shots from the line after being fouled on a missed triple.

But the Tar Heels didn’t break free from an 18-18 tie until 3-point baskets were made by guards Nate Britt and Theo Pinson. You just aren’t going to go on the road and beat North Carolina by shooting 5 of 20 from 3-point range. Gbinije had seven assists and seven turnovers….

Jameel McKay had six points with 10 rebounds for the Cyclones (21-9, 10-7 Big 12), who clinched their fifth consecutive winning season in conference play.

Syracuse-North Carolina Preview North Carolina heads into the final week of ACC play in search of its first regular-season championship in four years.

UNC looked to be in great shape after getting another defensive stop but a Orange steal and dunk from Malachai Richarson cut the lead to three with 43 seconds left.

The Orange still have something to play for as they are only a game back of Duke and Notre Dame and hold a tie-breaker over both.

Syracuse’s Michael Gbinije (0) collides with North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. Syracuse finished with 15 turnovers that UNC converted into 14 points…. The game will also be available online at espn3.com and through the ESPN app.