CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Brice Johnson had 18 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 15 North Carolina beat Florida State 78-74 on Saturday.
Marcus Paige scored 19 points to lead the Tar Heels (16-4, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their fifth straight league game. The Tar Heels led nearly all day, though they struggled to put the game away and ended up doing enough to hang on down the stretch against freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes and the Seminoles.
Rathan-Mayes scored a season-high 35 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Seminoles (10-10, 2-5), including three in the final 35 seconds to keep FSU in it all the way to the horn.
His last 3 brought the Seminoles to within 75-72 with about 17 seconds left, but FSU could get no closer.
Freshman Justin Jackson added 14 points in his latest solid performance as UNC won for the 10th time in 11 games.
