According to an article by BOB SUTTON, from the Associated Press.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, RJ Davis did not let up after a dominating first half.

During an exciting second-half stretch, Davis scored four consecutive 3-pointers and totaled a personal record of 42 points. In Monday night’s game, No. 9 North Carolina managed to hold off a struggling Miami team with a final score of 75-71.

“I was feeling quite good throughout most of the game,” Davis said. “I started off strong and made a mental note to keep up the momentum from my good first half. I stayed aggressive and my shots were consistently falling. Having a performance like tonight’s means everything to me.”

Davis, a senior guard who set a single-game Smith Center scoring record, had 21 points in each half. He picked up the pace with a dazzling display with less than 7 1/2 minutes to play, and ended up shooting 7 for 11 on 3s.

UNC’s Davis was the sole Tar Heels (22-6, 14-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) player to reach double digits. In the final 24.4 seconds, he made 1 out of 2 free throws, securing UNC’s 73-70 lead.

Coach Hubert Davis praised him for his all-around performance, including his defensive abilities, ball-handling skills, and 42 points.

Miami (15-14, 6-12) suffered their seventh consecutive loss, despite Norchad Omier’s 22 points, Bensley Joseph’s 21 points, and Kyshawn George’s 14 points.

Omier’s hook shot in the lane was unsuccessful and could have tied the game with approximately 45 seconds remaining. In the final 25 seconds, North Carolina gained possession of offensive rebounds twice after missing free throws.

“That was a valiant effort on our part,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. “RJ Davis had an answer every time we made a run.”

As the regular season nears its end, North Carolina has increased its ACC lead to 1.5 games ahead of Duke.

Davis led the Tar Heels in scoring, surpassing Shammond Williams’ 42-point record in a double-overtime victory against Georgia Tech in 1998.

“RJ stepped up and carried the team on his back, leading us to victory,” remarked forward Harrison Ingram. “Let’s watch and see what he does with the ball.”

Miami almost caught up after being down 64-50, even though Davis finished his outburst by hitting four 3-pointers in just over three minutes, giving them a 13-point advantage before the four-minute mark.

“I feel really focused and sure of myself and my shooting abilities,” he stated.

In the latter part of the second half, North Carolina took the lead with a score of 50-38, but then Miami quickly responded with eight consecutive points.

Davis, with four instances this season, has achieved 20 or more points in a single half and helped the Tar Heels take a 37-32 lead at halftime. He was responsible for 18 of the first 28 points for North Carolina.

On Saturday at Virginia, Davis had his second-lowest score (12) of the season.

“I have confidence in myself,” he stated. “I have faith in my abilities, and I was aware that I would excel at shooting the ball before entering the game.”

This game saw the biggest difference in points between the top scorer and second highest scorer for North Carolina (Ingram had eight points).

TIP-INS

The previous arena record was 40 points by former Tar Heels All-American Tyler Hansbrough against Georgia Tech in 2006. … Miami guards Wooga Poplar and Nigel Pack weren’t in uniform because of lower-body injuries. Poplar has started 26 games this season. Pack sat out his fourth straight.

BIG PICTURE

In Miami, the Hurricanes have experienced a losing conference record four out of six seasons. They currently hold a record of 1-4 against AP Top 25 teams this season.

North Carolina kicked off a series of three home games and secured a win for Hubert Davis in his 100th game (71-29) as head coach. While it took a bit for the atmosphere to pick up, RJ Davis ensured that there were plenty of exciting moments for the audience.

UP NEXT

On March 6, the Miami team will be playing at their home arena against the Boston College team.

This Saturday, North Carolina will play against North Carolina State at home.

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The AP has released rankings for college basketball teams, which can be found at https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball.

Source: wralsportsfan.com