CHAPEL HILL, NC – After 14 turnovers led to North Carolina’s second worst halftime deficit of the season (41-29), Walker Kessler burst loose for the first time in the second half to give UNC a big win, 78- 70, on No. to lead. 11 Florida State. The 7-footer finished with a career-high 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds and four blocks.
UNC (15-8, 9-5 ACC) shot 25 percent (7-28 FG) in the first half and its 14 turnovers led to 15 points for the Seminoles (14-4, 10-3 ACC). In the second half, the Tar Heels shot 50 percent off the floor (16-32 FG) and all 14 made their free throws. They dropped their last 18 attempts from the charity line to finish 27-of-30 (90 percent) from the free-throw line. RJ Davis, Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton shot a combined 9-of-34 from the floor and 5-of-21 from outside the arc, but were a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line. They combined for 37 points.
There was a noticeable change in the defensive energy for UNC in the second half. This yielded the second half of the second half which contributed up to 15 points for the game. The win for the Tar Heels is the 900th of Roy Williams’ head coaching career, making him the fastest coach to reach the 900-point mark. It is also the largest rest-time return to the Dean E. Smith Center since 2006 for UNC.
Watch and read everything the Hall of Fame head coach said to media members following the historic victory: