WRAL Sports Fan

Final Score: North Carolina 93, Virginia 81

Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - P.J. Hairston knocked down six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 29 points, and the North Carolina Tar Heels claimed a 93-81 win over the Virginia Cavaliers in Atlantic Coast Conference play at the Smith Center.

Marcus Paige chipped in with 17 points for the Tar Heels (17-8, 7-5 ACC), who improved to 12-1 at home while avenging an earlier loss to UVA last month. Dexter Strickland added 12 points, Reggie Bullock scored 11, and James Michael McAdoo finished with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Joe Harris scored 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor for the Cavaliers (18-7, 8-4), who had won seven of eight entering the day. Jontel Evans joined Harris in double figures with 12 points but also committed six of the team's 14 turnovers.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 10-point lead eight minutes into the contest, and they went on to shoot a marksman-like 62.5 percent from the floor and 8- of-13 from beyond the arc (.615) in the opening frame. However, the Tar Heels buried six threes of their own as the first half ended in a 40-40 tie.

Both teams shot an identical 16-of-29 from the floor in the second stanza, but UNC also went 7-of-11 from the perimeter and 14-of-18 at the foul line to gain separation. The Tar Heels led by as many as 18 with just over five minutes to play in regulation.

The Cavs lost despite a 58.5-percent effort from the floor and 12-of-21 accuracy from long range (.571), as UNC held a key 22-7 scoring advantage at the charity stripe. The Tar Heels also committed only seven turnovers for the game in addition to holding a 33-24 rebounding advantage, which included an 11-3 edge on the offensive glass.