CHAPEL HILL– The Carolina men’s basketball team lost  57-45  at the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon against No. 2 Syracuse.

With the win, Syracuse improved to 16-0 on the season and 3-0 in the ACC while Carolina fell to 10-6 on the year and 0-3 in conference for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

C.J. Fair led the Orange with 20 points on the day while Marcus Paige posted 17 points to lead the contributions for the Tar Heels.

Both teams struggled from the field, shooting south of 40 percent as teams.

James Michael McAdoo opened proceedings with a score. And then J.P. Tokoto followed that one up with a long jumper that staked UNC out to a 4-0 lead.

McAdoo  was taking over the contest early on with a steal that gave Carolina the 8-4 lead with 16:38 to play.

Early sloppy play by Syracuse was apparent as they committed four turnovers just over four minutes into the contest.

Eight points and two steals highlighted McAdoo’s quick start in the Carrier Dome.

C.J. Fair popped a smooth jumper to close the gap for the Orange. But the Tar Heels were taking advantage of the Syracuse turnovers. McAdoo ran the floor and slammed it home.

The Tar Heels held a 15-13 advantage with 11:18 to play in the first half.

Fair netted a three-pointer to take the first lead of the game for the Orange with 10:15 on the first half clock.

With 8:29 to play in the first half, Syracuse had jumped out to a 21-15 lead with methodical precision on offense.

Head Coach Roy Williams was extra demonstrative courtside as Carolina picked up a questionable foul call that handed Syracuse a trip to the line, resulting in a 23-17 lead for the Orange.

Syracuse went on a 14-2 run for a six-minute stretch that firmly gave the home team control of the contest.

Marcus Paige’s play continued to deteriorate, missing wide open looks, and Syracuse claimed a commanding 30-18 lead with 2:40 to play in the first half.

McDonald sniped a a hurried jumper to get the Tar Heels within 12 at 32-20 with just under a minute to play, but the Orange took the 34-22 lead at halftime.

The second half got underway with energetic play from Carolina, but McAdoo missed both of his free throws, and a three-point make by the Orange placed the score at 37-24 with 17:20 to go.

Syracuse’s zone defense was taking its toll on the Tar Heels, who were unable to beat the zone in transition. Johnson provided a nice lift for UNC with an emphatic throw down. But the Orange still maintained a 44-31 lead with 13 minutes to play.

The Orange’s Cooney made a three, and Paige answered with a long-range two-point play. The pace of play was accelerating midway through the second half .

Syracuse was having its way with Carolina. Missed shots and turnovers were helping Orange’s cause as they took a 53-36 lead with 7:44 left to go in the game.

The closing minutes of play were dominated by the team in orange and white as UNC couldn’t find the basket and struggled to contain the physical play of the Orange.

 

Related Stories
‹
Carolina Soul Searching Continues With Carrier Dome Collision At No. 2 Syracuse
Concerning to Tar Heel fans, Head Coach Roy Williams says he’s questioning everything right now, even down to what coat he’s wearing.
Tar Heel Men's Lacrosse Holds Off Top-Ranked Syracuse, Will Play for ACC Title
The 18th-ranked UNC men’s lacrosse team came one step closer to salvaging its season on Friday night at Koskinen Stadium in Durham. Despite finishing the year with a 6-7 record, the Tar Heels built a nine-goal halftime lead over No. 1 Syracuse and hung on for a crazy 16-15 victory in the ACC Semifinals. It […]
Top-Ranked Syracuse Rallies Past UNC Men's Lacrosse For OT Victory
With Fetzer Field hosting its final two lacrosse games on Saturday, Syracuse made sure neither the UNC men’s or women’s teams could give the stadium a proper send-off. Hours after the Syracuse women ended UNC’s nine-game winning streak, the Orange men–ranked No. 1 in the country–reeled off a stunning comeback to defeat the No. 17 Tar […]
Syracuse Stuns No. 2 UNC Women's Lacrosse on Senior Day
Riding a nine-game win streak entering Saturday’s home game vs. No. 11 Syracuse, the second-ranked UNC women’s lacrosse team appeared to be cruising into postseason play with a great shot at repeating as national champions. The Orange offered a huge wake-up call, however, as they defeated the Tar Heels 13-11 on UNC’s senior day. Emily […]
Roy Williams Notches 800th Career Win as No. 9 UNC Pounds Syracuse 85-68
Two days after he deployed a never-before-seen small lineup to beat Florida State, UNC head coach Roy Williams saw his team return to the style he’s become known for on Monday against Syracuse. The ninth-ranked Tar Heels pounded the ball inside with great success against the Orange’s trademark 2-3 zone on the way to an […]
UNC Men's Soccer Shuts Out Syracuse, Earns Spot in the Elite Eight
Throughout the 2016 season, no team in America allowed less goals than the UNC men’s soccer team. Although the No. 9 Tar Heels gave up two scores against Florida Gulf Coast–which boasts the nation’s top scoring offense–in their NCAA Tournament opener last weekend, head coach Carlos Somoano’s team returned to form on Sunday. UNC defeated […]
Tar Heels Maul Oklahoma State, Earn Spot in Maui Championship
In perhaps its most impressive performance of this young season, the No. 4 UNC men’s basketball team toyed with the Oklahoma State Cowboys Tuesday night on the way to a 107-75 blowout victory—earning a berth in the Maui Invitational Championship Game as a result. At the rate the Tar Heels have put up points during […]
One on One: Taking a Knee and Remembering Dean Smith and Charlie Scott
Do you grit your teeth when an athlete or performer takes a knee during the National Anthem before a game begins? We have mixed feelings, don’t we? Like UNC-Chapel Hill basketball coach Roy Williams, who was angry when he first heard about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s pre-game protests of police violence against black […]
Syracuse Writer Calls UNC 2nd Most Overrated Basketball Program
In an effort to endear himself to local sports fans, a Syracuse writer wrote about the perceived “underrated” nature of his local college basketball team.  In this process, in an effort get page-views, he decided to throw what the kids call “shade” at other notable teams that might be considered “overrated.” Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com used a […]
UNC On Brink of a National Title After 83-66 Win Over Syracuse
Entering this college basketball season, the 2016 Tar Heels found themselves atop the national rankings carrying massive expectations–despite never having reached the game’s biggest stage. After the top-seeded Tar Heels’ knocked off Syracuse 83-66 in the National Semifinals on Saturday night in Houston, the team head coach Roy Williams said is his favorite of all-time […]
›