Kyle Guy hit two huge 3-pointers in the final two minutes and finished with 20 points as No. 4 Virginia overcame No. 8 North Carolina 69-61 on Monday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.
De'Andre Hunter added 20 points and Ty Jerome tallied 15 points as Virginia recovered from a shaky second-half stretch when it fell behind by seven points.
Virginia (21-2, 9-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved within a half-game of the league leader, second-ranked Duke, which plays Tuesday night at No. 16 Louisville.
Virginia, just two nights after losing at home to the Blue Devils, shot 53.3 percent from the field.
Coby White scored 17 points, Cameron Johnson added 16 points and Garrison Brooks had 12 points for North Carolina (19-5, 9-2), which dropped into a tie with the Cavaliers for second place in the ACC. The Tar Heels saw their seven-game winning streak end.
With five straight points off turnovers, the Tar Heels stormed ahead at 44-43 with 14 minutes left. They extended the gap to 49-43 as part of a 10-0 run and shortly after went up by seven.
Virginia battled back to a 55-55 tie with six minutes left.
Virginia's Jay Huff scored on a shot in the lane to break a 59-all deadlock, and then Guy's 3-pointer gave the Cavaliers a 64-59 edge before Brooks' basket off a rebound with 1:35 left.
Guy's trey at the 1:10 mark made it 67-61. He missed a chance at a four-point play when his free throw was off the mark.
Virginia built a 31-22 lead on the way to a 36-29 halftime edge, marking the first halftime hole for the Tar Heels in seven games.
North Carolina shot 35.5 percent from the field in the first half for its second-worse mark of the season. Six of the team's 11 field goals were from 3-point range. The Tar Heels were saved at times by some of their six offensive rebounds because Virginia made 56.5 percent of its first-half shots.
Virginia had reserve forward Mamadi Diakite back after he sat out the second half Saturday night against Duke with a head injury sustained when colliding with a teammate. He scored six points Monday.
North Carolina freshman forward Nassir Little, who averages 10.3 points per game, played only two scoreless minutes before exiting with a first-half leg or ankle injury.
--Field Level Media
Virginia | North Carolina | |
Kyle Guy 20 | Scoring | Coby White 17 |
Ty Jerome 11 | Assists | Kenny Williams 5 |
Braxton Key 6 | Rebounds | Luke Maye 11 |
De'Andre Hunter 3 | Free Throws Made | Garrison Brooks 2 |
Kihei Clark 3 | Steals | Garrison Brooks 1 |
Mamadi Diakite 4 | Blocks | Kenny Williams 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Virginia | 69 | 53.3 | 11-20 | 10-18 | 16 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 10 |
North Carolina | 61 | 35.4 | 9-30 | 6-7 | 17 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 8 |