CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After a big first half, RJ Davis saw no reason to back down.
Davis hit four straight 3-pointers during a riveting stretch of the second half on his way to a career-high 42 points and No. 9 North Carolina withstood Miami's 75-71 loss on Monday night.
“I felt good most of the game,” Davis said. “I came out hot. I told myself that since I had a good first half, I should keep it up. I was aggressive and the shots were falling. For me, to have a performance like that tonight means a lot to me.”
Davis, a senior guard, set a Smith Center scoring record, surpassing former Tar Heels All-American Tyler Hansbrough's 40 points against Georgia Tech in 2006.
Davis was the only Tar Heels (22-6, 14-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) player to score in double figures, marking just the fourth time in the last 25 seasons that UNC won a game with a single. player in double figures and the first time since 2011, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
“It wasn't just his points,” Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis said. “I thought he was great defensively, he took care of the ball. We needed every part of the 42 from him.”
Norchad Omier scored 22 points, Bensley Joseph scored 21 and Kyshawn George added 14 to lead Miami (15-14, 6-12), which lost its seventh straight game.
Omier missed a hook shot at the line that could have tied the score with about 45 seconds left. Then, twice in the final 25 seconds, North Carolina secured offensive rebounds on missed free throws.
“That was a brave effort on our part,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga said. “RJ Davis had an answer every time we ran.”
North Carolina, with three regular-season games remaining, extended its ACC lead to 1½ games over second-place Duke.
Davis racked up the most points by a Tar Heels player since Shammond Williams scored 42 in a 1998 double-overtime win at Georgia Tech.
“He put us on his back and took over the game,” North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram said. “RJ took the ball and [let’s] Look what he does.”
Miami closed in after trailing 64-50, even with Davis completing his outburst with four 3-pointers in just over three minutes for a 13-point UNC lead before the four-minute mark.
“I'm locked in, confident in myself and my shot,” he said.
Early in the second half, North Carolina took a 50-38 lead before Miami scored the next eight points.
Davis, who has scored 20 or more points in a half four times this season, propelled the Tar Heels to a 37-32 halftime lead. He scored 18 of North Carolina's first 28 points.
He was coming off his second-lowest point total (12) of the season Saturday at Virginia.
“I believe in myself,” Davis said. “I believe in my job. And coming into this game, I knew I was going to be good in terms of shooting the ball.”
The game marked the largest gap in North Carolina history between its leading scorer and its second-leading scorer (Ingram scored eight points).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
