TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — M.J. Walker scored 20 points, Raiquan Gray added a career-high 19 and Florida State beat North Carolina 82-75 on Saturday for the Seminoles’ 20th consecutive home conference victory.
Walker, who made 4 of 5 shots from the arc, missed three minutes of the second half after turning an ankle but returned to hit his final 3-pointer with 11 1/2 minutes left to give the Seminoles (7-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) a 10-point lead.
The Tar Heels (8-5, 3-3) were within a point with just over two minutes remaining but missed their next three shots and had a turnover while Gray converted a three-point play and two free throws and the Seminoles went up seven with 16 seconds remaining.
RayQuan Evans, Balsa Koprivica and Malik Osborne added 10 points each for the Seminoles, who were 8 of 16 on 3-point attempts and made 26 of 27 free throws. The Seminoles were without third-leading scorer Scottie Barnes, who turned his ankle in Wednesday’s win over NC State.
RJ Davis scored 16 points, Kerwin Walton 14, Garrison Brooks 12 and Caleb Love 11 for North Carolina, which made 10 of 24 from the arc but only got to the line 14 times, making 11. Guard Anthony Harris, out since December 2019 while recovering from a knee injury, played nine minutes in the second half and scored five points with three assists.
The Tar Heels had a three-game win streak snapped.
Davidson 77, La Salle 53
PHILADELPHIA — Carter Collins had a career-high 24 points as Davidson routed La Salle 77-53 on Saturday.
Collins shot 10 for 12 from the floor, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.
Luka Brajkovic had 17 points for Davidson (8-5, 4-2 Atlantic 10 Conference).
Kellan Grady, who led the Wildcats in scoring entering the matchup with 18 points per game, scored just four on 2-of-11 shooting.
Davidson dominated the first half and led 44-25 at halftime. The Wildcats’ 44 points in the first half marked a season best for the team.
Scott Spencer had 12 points for the Explorers (5-8, 2-4).
Sherif Kenney, the Explorers’ second leading scorer entering the contest at nine points per game, scored two points and missed all six of his shots from beyond the arc.
UNC Greensboro 82, Samford 70
HOMEWOOD, Ala. — Isaiah Miller had 20 points and seven rebounds as UNC Greensboro defeated Samford 82-70 on Saturday.
Keyshaun Langley had 19 points for UNC Greensboro (8-5, 3-2 Southern Conference), which earned its fifth consecutive road victory. Mohammed Abdulsalam added seven rebounds.
Christian Guess had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (5-7, 1-4), who have now lost four games in a row. Richardson Maitre added 12 points. A.J. Staton-McCray had 10 points.
UNC Greensboro defeated Samford 87-63 on Thursday.
Charlotte 70, UAB 55
CHARLOTTE — Brice Williams had a career-high 22 points as Charlotte got past UAB 70-55 on Saturday.
Jahmir Young had 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Charlotte (6-6, 2-2 Conference USA). Jhery Matos added 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Tavin Lovan had 14 points for the Blazers (10-2, 3-1). Trey Jemison added 10 points.
The 49ers leveled the season series against the Blazers with the win. UAB defeated Charlotte 61-37 on Friday.
Mercer 78, Western Carolina 76
MACON, Ga. — Neftali Alvarez had a career-high 24 points as Mercer edged past Western Carolina 78-76 on Saturday. Maciej Bender added 22 points for the Bears. Bender also had seven rebounds.
Leon Ayers III had 17 points for Mercer (8-4, 1-3 Southern Conference). Felipe Haase added nine rebounds.
Mason Faulkner had 25 points and eight rebounds for the Catamounts (7-4, 0-2). Xavier Cork added 13 points. Matt Halvorsen had 12 points.
