By MIKE BARBER Associated Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Caleb Wilson scored 20 points, Jarin Stevenson added all of his 17 in the second half and No. 22 North Carolina rallied past No. 14 Virginia 85-80 on Saturday for a big ACC road victory.
Trailing by two points with 3:50 to play, Carolina got three-point plays from Stevenson and Seth Trimble to build a 78-74 lead, then hung on. The Tar Heels outscored the Cavaliers 18-9 over the final 5:25.
Thijs DeRidder had 20 points and seven rebounds for UVA, which had its 11-game home winning streak snapped.
Virginia led by 16 in the first half and went to the locker room ahead 43-34. That lead was thanks, in part, to a 26-16 rebounding edge that helped the Cavaliers score 14 second-chance points in the first 20 minutes.
But the Tar Heels rallied after the break, executing crisp, efficient offense and taking their first lead since the game’s opening minutes on a dunk by Stevenson with 11:57 to go. That put UNC up 59-58. They’d go ahead by as many as five.
Virginia evened the score on a tough, baseline layup by Chance Mallory, making it 67-all with 7:58 left. It went ahead less than a minute later on a basket by DeRidder, then held on for its second victory over a ranked opponent this season.
The Tar Heels beat then-No. 20 Louisville, on the road, earlier this month.
Up next
North Carolina: The Tar Heels go on the road to Georgia Tech next Saturday.
Virginia: The Cavaliers play at Notre Dame on Tuesday.