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Heels clobber BC for eighth straight win

Jan 7, 2012 - 11:04 PM Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - Harrison Barnes had 25 points, five rebounds and four steals, helping the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels handle the Boston College Eagles, 83-60, in the ACC opener for both teams.

Tyler Zeller added 20 points and eight boards for the Tar Heels (14-2, 1-0 ACC), who have won a building-record 27 straight games in the Smith Center.

John Henson donated 14 points and eight rebounds for North Carolina, which has won eight in a row since a loss to Kentucky on December 3.

"With the perimeter defense, Harrison [Barnes] had four steals, Dexter [Strickland] had three - we were active," North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said. "We've got to get the other guys involved as well. We've got to get five guys moving as one. Five guys moving as one is important."

Matt Humphrey ended with 14 points and five boards for the Eagles (5-10, 0-1), who have dropped three straight. Ryan Anderson tallied 13 points and six boards.

Boston College's lone lead of the game occurred early on. Humphrey capped a 7-0 burst with a three-pointer to give the visitors a 9-8 edge with 14 1/2 minutes left in the first half.

Barnes' layup at the other end sparked a 19-5 North Carolina run. He ended with nine points during the surge to give the home team a 27-14 edge with less than 7 1/2 minutes to go.

The margin stayed around 13 for the rest of the half, with the Tar Heels holding a 40-27 lead at the break.

North Carolina opened the second half on a 10-2 run to build a 50-29 cushion.

The Eagles made things interesting midway through the frame. Patrick Heckmann's three-pointer capped a 10-2 burst to get the visitors within 59-50 with 9 1/2 minutes to play.

But Barnes and Zeller made layups to swing the momentum back in favor of the Tar Heels. The home team held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

"In the second half, it looked like Carolina was just going to shove us out the door. I felt these guys showed a lot of character and toughness," Boston College head coach Steve Donahue said. "I think we were down by nine, and we were not shooting the ball particularly well; we're not making foul shots, so I think it speaks a lot about the character in these young kids."

Game Notes

North Carolina holds a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series...The Tar Heels improved to 50-9 all-time in ACC openers...North Carolina went 16-for-21 from the foul line.