UNC Basketball: Tar Heels lose to No. 8 Florida State in Tallahassee

Second half scoring drought dooms UNC Basketball in loss to No. 8 Florida State

Trent Forrest and Patrick Williams scored 14 points a piece, and No. 8 Florida State beat North Carolina by a final score of 65-59 at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Monday night.

The two combined to hit 8-of-16 shots from the floor, 3-of-5 from three-point range and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Williams had a team-high nine rebounds and two assists off the Seminoles’ bench, while Forrest stuffed that stat sheet with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Sophomore forward Raiquan Gray was the only other Florida State player to score in double-figure points on Monday night. He had 12 points, seven rebounds, an assist, two steals and a game-high four blocks.

The Seminoles shot just under 42 percent for the game, and hit 15-of-17 free throw attempts. They outrebounded the Tar Heels by six, and blocked 10 North Carolina shots. The win improves Florida State to 19-3 on the season, and 9-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

The Tar Heels were led by freshman point guard Cole Anthony, who scored a game-high 16 points on a putrid 5-for-22 shooting performance. He hit just 3-of-10 shots from beyond the arc, and 3-of-8 from the charity stripe. He had eight rebounds and three assists, but also turned the ball over three times and committed four fouls. Reserve guard Christian Keeling had one of his best games of the season, scoring 14 points off the UNC bench on 50 percent shooting. Leaky Black added 10 points for the Tar Heels, while Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot combined for just 11 points and 10 rebounds on the night.

The Tar Heels hit just 21 of their 68 shot attempts from the floor, and 6-of-19 from downtown. They also missed six of their 17 free throws. It was one of the few times this season that they’ve committed single-digit turnovers, but also one of the rare occasions that they’ve lost the rebounding battle. Their nightmarish season continues as they fall to 10-12 on the season, and 3-8 in conference play.

North Carolina led the game 28-20 before allowing Florida State to go on a 9-0 run to close out the first half. The Tar Heels went on a seemingly endless scoring drought that spanned much of the second half, and ultimately cost them the game. A late spurt from Keeling and the Tar Heels wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit, giving them their second consecutive loss and 11th in their last 15 games.

The Tar Heels are back in action on Saturday night in a rivalry game against the seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils. The game is at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and will begin at 5 p.m. EST.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the UNC basketball program.