By R.L. Bynum
In a season full of games when Carolina couldn’t hold leads, the Tar Heels finally ended that trend with a game they never trailed.
Jae’Lyn Withers scored a season-high 19 points, including eight straight points during a key second-half stretch, and played excellent defense as North Carolina got a much-needed 88–82 victory at the JMA Dome in Syracuse behind a season-high-tying 13 3-pointers.
Coach Hubert Davis said he challenged his team after the tough loss Monday at Clemson.
“We had the best three practices, competitive practices, all year leading up to this game, and it translated out there on the floor in the game tonight,” Davis told the Tar Heel Sports Network.
UNC (15–11, 8–6 ACC) led by 11 points early in the second half, and although Syracuse (11–15, 5–10) made several runs, the best the Orange could do all game was to tie it six times.
Carolina got a big boost from Ian Jackson, who shook himself out of a scoring slump with 16 of his 23 points in the first half. Jackson’s five 3-pointers were tied for the most by a Tar Heel this season (he also scored five at N.C. State, as did Davis against Campbell and Cade Tyson against La Salle).
Withers and Jackson had combined for 21 points in the previous three games before collecting 42 against Syracuse.
Withers scored three 3-pointers and had six rebounds in his second consecutive start before fouling out with 1:45 left, which was only his fourth double-figure scoring game this season.
“Where he helped us out the most was defensively,” Coach Davis said. “Him with size — they couldn’t post up that position, and so we didn’t have to double-team that position, and that was because of J-Wit. I think he played his best game of the season, and I’m glad he played it tonight.”
It was Withers’ best scoring game since he scored 19 for Louisville in 2023 against Georgia Tech and his best game as a Tar Heel since scoring 16 against Wagner in the 2024 NCAA tournament. His three 3-pointers tied a season-high set at Kansas.
Carolina’s 46.4% shooting from 3-point range (13 of 28) was second only this season to the 50% game (11 of 22) in the 82–67 Jan. 7 home victory over SMU. The 27-point margin in 3-point production was the largest of the season.
“Especially against the zone, that’s pretty much the only thing we could get,” Coach Davis said. “They have so much size down low in the middle of the paint; it was difficult for us in the zone to be able to get to the basket. At the end of the day, you’ve got to knock down some jump shots.”
RJ Davis scored 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and one turnover, and the Carolina offense ran better with him handling the ball.
Elliot Cadeau battled foul trouble and played a season-low 18 minutes (his previous low was 19 minutes against SMU), finishing with nine points, four assists, three rebounds and four fouls. Cadeau was the only Tar Heel with multiple turnovers, with four of UNC’s nine.
Eddie Lampkin led Syracuse with 26 points. UNC held Syracuse’s leading scorer, JJ Starling, to two first-half points, but he gave the Orange a chance by finishing with 22 points.
Jackson’s 16 first-half points were his most in a half since scoring 16 in the second half on Jan. 11 at N.C. State, and helped UNC take early control. UNC took a five-point lead on a Jalen Washington 3-pointer with 12:44 left in the first half.
After Syracuse tied it on a Chris Bell 3-pointer, UNC went on a 9–0 run and took a nine-point lead on an RJ Davis drive, his first points. Davis’ 3-pointer with 3:15 left put Carolina up by 11. A Jackson 3-pointer with 38 seconds left gave UNC a 42–34 halftime lead.
Syracuse used a 17–7 run to tie it at 60 on a Starling three-point play with 10:10 left. Withers scored eight consecutive points, including two three-point plays, to give UNC a nine-point lead with 7:09 left. A Davis 3 with 4:47 left gave UNC a 10-point lead after the Orange had cut it to five.
Starling’s steal, three-point play and two free throws during a 12–7 Syracuse run cut the Tar Heels’ lead to two with 1:01 left. But Cadeau’s drive with 39 seconds left and two Davis free throws with 25 seconds left pushed the lead back to six.
A Lampkin bucket cut the lead to four with 12 seconds left, but Drake Powell put the game away on a pair of free throws with 9.4 seconds left.
NOTES — Carolina returns home for the first time since Feb. 8 when it hosts N.C. State at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Wolfpack (10–15, 3–11) ended a nine-game losing streak Saturday with a 70–62 home victory over Boston College. … It was the third time this season that UNC never trailed (also at Hawai’i and against SMU at home). … Carolina is 5–1 when it makes 10 or more 3-pointers (the only loss against Michigan State when the Tar Heels scored 11). … UNC is 12–4 when it shoots at least 45% from the floor. … Washington fouled out with six points and four rebounds. … Carolina leads the series 18–7 and is 5–3 at Syracuse. … UNC’s other game with 13 3-pointers was the 90–76 season-opening win at home on Nov. 4 over Elon. … Carolina scored 1.354 points per possession. … UNC only shot 62.2% from the free-throw line, but that was its best showing in three games after shooting 53.3% against Pitt and 45.5% at Clemson.
UNC 88, Syracuse 82
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
UNC season statistics
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 11 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 9 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
