National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Texas 86, North Carolina 83
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Officials: # Karl Hess, # Les Jones, # Bryan Kersey
Attendance: 17143

Texas 86, No. 18 North Carolina 83: Isaiah Taylor scored 16 points and Jonathan Holmes had 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the visiting Longhorns over the Tar Heels.

Demarcus Holland scored 15 points and Javan Felix added 12 as Texas (10-1) won its sixth consecutive game. The Longhorns had a six-point lead with 25.2 seconds left and hung on when a 3-point attempt by North Carolina’s Marcus Paige rimmed out at the buzzer.

Paige scored 23 points and made five 3-pointers to pace North Carolina (7-3). Leslie McDonald had 15 points and made four 3-pointers in his season debut after being reinstated from a suspension.

The Longhorns led 70-60 after Holland’s 3-pointer with just over eight minutes remaining. After the contest was tied at 77, Felix scored five straight points to put Texas ahead to stay and Paige scored five consecutive North Carolina points in the final 25.2 seconds before his game-ending miss.

Texas used a 10-0 surge to take an eight-point lead midway through the first half. The advantage reached 13 late in the half before the Longhorns settled for a 53-42 lead at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: McDonald was cleared to return by the NCAA earlier in the day after missing the first nine games due to receiving impermissible benefits. … Tar Heels F Joel James left in the opening minutes with a knee injury, while Holmes was plagued with cramping issues. … North Carolina was just 24-of-47 from the free-throw line, while Texas was 20-of-33.
Top Game Performances
 
Texas   North Carolina
Isaiah Taylor 16 Scoring Marcus Paige 23
Demarcus Holland 4 Assists Nate Britt 7
Jonathan Holmes 10 Rebounds Brice Johnson 9
Isaiah Taylor 6 Free Throws Made Marcus Paige 8
Demarcus Holland 2 Steals Nate Britt 3
Jonathan Holmes 3 Blocks James Michael McAdoo 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Texas 86 40.3 8-21 20-33 13 49 7 6 12
North Carolina 83 38.5 9-19 24-47 13 39 5 7 8