UNC men's basketball escapes Boston College with 68-65 win

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Nothing cures the ills of a losing streak quite like a trip to Chestnut Hill.

After dropping consecutive games for the first time this season, the North Carolina men’s basketball team snapped its streak Tuesday, besting Boston College for a ninth straight time with a 68-65 win in the Conte Forum.

But unlike the previous eight, this one didn’t come easy.

In response to its mediocre efforts against Louisville and Notre Dame, No. 9 UNC (20-4, 9-2 ACC) entered the contest featuring a new lineup — starters Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson were replaced by Theo Pinson, Isaiah Hicks and Joel James.

The Eagles (7-17, 0-11 ACC) quickly took advantage, jumping out to a nine-point lead with 14:20 left in the opening period. Guard Eli Carter seemed unstoppable in the first half, scoring 17 of his game-high 26 points by halftime.

But the Tar Heels rallied back.

Jackson, who started the game on the bench, shot 9-for-11 from the field to lead UNC with 20 points — his highest scoring total since posting 22 points against Kansas State on Nov. 24.

And after North Carolina chipped away at the Eagles’ advantage throughout the second half, Pinson hit two late free throws to give his team its first lead with 3:55 remaining.

Even Marcus Paige — recovering from the worst shooting slump of his career — aided his team's campaign by hitting three shots from beyond the arc, none bigger than a 3-pointer through contact with 1:47 left to put UNC ahead for good.

Quotable

“We needed the change, we were getting our butts kicked. But that kind of lit a fire under us.” — Paige on the effect of a mid-game coaching change.

Notable

With 14:35 left in the second half, Coach Roy Williams fell to his knees and clutched his head after a spell of what he called “benign positional vertigo.” He was taken to the locker room, where he stayed for the remainder of the game. Assistant coach Steve Robertson assumed Williams’ role on the sidelines.

Three numbers that matter

36: The North Carolina bench scored 36 points against the Eagles, topping its season-low mark of 14 points in each of the previous two games. Of those 36 points, 31 came from Jackson, Meeks and Johnson — the three players demoted to the bench unit for this game.

14: After recording zero points off turnovers against Notre Dame, UNC converted 14 Boston College turnovers into 21 points. The Tar Heels recorded 30 points off turnovers against the Eagles on Jan. 30 — the last time UNC won before its two-game losing streak.

1: Despite losing two straight conference games entering Tuesday, North Carolina still holds the No. 1 spot atop the ACC standings. No. 7 Virginia sits 0.5 games behind the Tar Heels, while No. 13 Louisville – which beat UNC eight days ago — and No. 12 Miami are a full game back.

What’s next?

North Carolina concludes its difficult three-game road trip with three consecutive home games, the first coming against Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

@CJacksonCowart

sports@dailytarheel.com