CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Florida State could do little to slow North Carolina's momentum. Its own season continued to head in the opposite direction.
James Michael McAdoo had 17 of his 21 points in the first half to help UNC build a big lead on the way to beating the Seminoles 79-58 Sunday, its fifth straight victory.
McAdoo scored 11 during a 20-3 run that helped the Tar Heels build a 19-point halftime lead over FSU (15-14, 7-9 ACC), which shot 37 percent and lost for the fifth time in seven games.
"I thought we dug a hole for ourselves during that stretch, and they hit a couple of 3s," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said of the spurt. "As the game was going on I said, 'They've got to miss some of them.' And they kept throwing them in."
Michael Snaer scored 17 to lead the Seminoles, while freshman Devon Bookert was the only other player to reach double figures with 10.
Reggie Bullock added 20 points and 10 rebounds for UNC (21-8, 11-5), which continued its push for a first-round bye at the ACC Tournament. North Carolina shot 58 percent in the first half, finished at 55 percent and didn't let FSU closer than a dozen after halftime.
P.J. Hairston added 16 points for the Tar Heels and hit four 3-pointers.
Trailing 16-15, UNC started its run with a basket from McAdoo followed by his dunk off a steal near midcourt for a three-point play. Then, after a 3-pointer from Bullock, McAdoo scored on three straight possessions — including a dunk off a missed drive by Marcus Paige — before Bullock and Hairston closed the spurt with consecutive 3s to make it 35-19 with 3½ minutes left before halftime.
"It did a lot for their momentum, their crowd, their confidence," Snaer said. "You can't do that on the road."
FSU got some good news with the return of Terrance Shannon, who had been out since January when he was carried off on a stretcher with a neck injury against Virginia. He returned against UNC with 8:35 left in the first half and had three points.
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