National Basketball Association
North Carolina 88, Pittsburgh 71
When: 12:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 10, 2016
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia
Officials:
# Tim Comer, # Mike Eades, # Sean Hull
Attendance:
18561
By The Sports Xchange
WASHINGTON -- Guard Joel Berry scored 20 points and forward Brice Johnson added 19 as No. 7 North Carolina blew out Pittsburgh in the second half to win 88-71 in an ACC Tournament quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon at the Verizon Center.
Forward Justin Jackson's 11 points and forward Isaiah Hicks' 10 points also helped top-seeded North Carolina (26-6).
The Tar Heels meet the Duke-Notre Dame winner in Friday night's first semifinal.
Forwards Michael Young and Jamel Artis each scored 19 points and forward Sheldon Jeter had 11 points to pace eighth-seeded Pittsburgh (21-11), which has lost three of its last four games.
A day after Pittsburgh might have damaged Syracuse's NCAA Tournament hopes with a one-point victory, the Panthers couldn't do the same as far as the Tar Heels' bid for a No. 1 regional seed.
Jackson, who was scoreless in the first half, had nine points in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Tar Heels began to pull away.
Then seldom-used North Carolina guard Kenny Williams entered for the first time and bagged a 3-pointer for a 66-55 lead. Williams, who played in only two of the previous six games, hadn't scored since Jan. 20 against Wake Forest.
The Panthers had stayed within range despite a couple of strong North Carolina runs.
After Pittsburgh tied the score at 45, guard Marcus Paige's 3-pointer and guard Theo Pinson’s basket in the lane steadied the Tar Heels.
North Carolina converted off two Pittsburgh turnovers in the final minute of the first half to claim a 39-35 lead at the break. Those plays were part of a 10-0 run to end the half.
Berry had 13 first-half points, hitting all six of his shots from the field. That bolstered the Tar Heels to 56.7 percent for the half from the floor.
Pittsburgh scored the game's first eight points. North Carolina took its first lead at 16-14 on guard Nate Britt's three-point play with 12:07 left.
The Panthers regained a flow and took a 33-26 lead before the Tar Heels' burst.
NOTES: North Carolina holds the tournament's No. 1 seed for the 25th time. ... G Cameron Johnson, a redshirt freshman, made his first career start for Pittsburgh a day after scoring a season-high 24 points against Syracuse. ... C Joel James and F Luke Maye didn't play in North Carolina's regular-season finale on Saturday night at Duke, but they both came off the bench in the first half against Pittsburgh. ... This was Pittsburgh's third season in the ACC and the second time the teams have met in the quarterfinals. Pittsburgh won in 2014. ... The Tar Heels won this year's regular-season meeting 85-64 at home last month. ... North Carolina G Marcus Paige was honored before the game as the recipient of the Skip Prosser Award as the ACC Scholar-Athlete for men's basketball.
Top Game Performances
| Pittsburgh |
|
North Carolina |
|
Jamel Artis 19 |
Scoring |
Joel Berry II 20 |
|
James Robinson 5 |
Assists |
Theo Pinson 7 |
|
Michael Young 5 |
Rebounds |
Brice Johnson 10 |
|
Jamel Artis 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Joel Berry II 4 |
|
Jamel Artis 1 |
Steals |
Joel Berry II 4 |
|
Sheldon Jeter 1 |
Blocks |
Brice Johnson 5 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Pittsburgh
|
71 |
44.4 |
5-12 |
18-25 |
11 |
21 |
3 |
6 |
12 |
| North Carolina
|
88 |
58.9 |
6-14 |
16-18 |
18 |
26 |
7 |
6 |
10 |
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