NEW YORK (AP) – Brice Johnson scored 27 points, the second straight game he set his career high, and No. 11 North Carolina overcame a horrible game from beyond the 3-point arc to beat No. 22 UCLA 89-76 on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic at Barclays Center.
The senior forward missed his first shot from the field then didn’t miss again, finishing 11 for 12 as he bettered the 25 points he scored earlier this week against Tulane. Johnson came into the game averaging 14.6 points and shooting 61 percent from the field.
The Tar Heels (9-2), who trailed by 11 points in the first half, broke the game open with a 13-0 run that gave them a 73-57 lead with 6:24 to play. Johnson had four points in the run and when UCLA (8-4) broke its 4:28 scoring drought, Johnson answered immediately to restore the 16-point lead.
Joel Berry II had a career-high 17 points for the Tar Heels, who finished 4 for 19 from 3-point range. They entered the game shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. Marcus Paige had 10 points and six assists for North Carolina, which has won six of seven.
Isaac Hamilton had 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the Bruins, who beat two ranked teams – then-No. 1 Kentucky and then-No. 20 Gonzaga – in the last nine days. Hamilton made 4 of 5 attempts from 3-point range as the Bruins finished 8 of 17 from beyond the arc. They committed 17 turnovers, many unforced. Tony Parker had 13 points and 11 rebounds for UCLA, which had won five straight since returning from the Maui Invitational.