CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Armando Bacot scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, R.J. Davis added 18 points and North Carolina beat Boston College 72-64 on Tuesday night.
Bacot had his 11th double-double of the season and the 60th of his career. He is now tied for the UNC double-double record with Naismith Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham. The 16-rebound performance was Bacot’s 21st game with 15 or more rebounds.
Davis' 3-pointer with 12:39 left put North Carolina (12-6, 5-3 ACC) ahead 52-41. The Eagles challenged with a 14-3 outburst over the next six minutes and reduced their deficit to 56-55 on Jaeden Zackery's layup with 6:07 to go. But Caleb Love countered with a 3-pointer and a layup less than 60 seconds following a BC miss, and Davis sank a pair of foul shots to blunt an upset bid. The Eagles (8-11, 2-6) never got closer four (63-59) the rest of the way.
Love finished with 16 points and Bacot finished shooting 8 for 11. North Carolina led 31-26 at halftime and never trailed.
Quinten Post scored 17 points for Boston College and Zackery added 14 points. The Eagles made 12 of 14 foul shots but missed all six attempted 3-pointers.
The Tar Heels are 21-6 all-time against the Eagles, including 19-5 since BC joined the ACC in the 2005-06 season. North Carolina has won 15 of the last 16 games in the series.
Boston College faces Notre Dame on the road on Saturday. North Carolina hosts North Carolina State on Saturday.
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