ATLANTA — No. 17 Florida State used sharp 3-point shooting to beat No. 4 North Carolina 85-82 in Sunday’s ACC tournament championship game at the Philips Arena.
The first time the two teams met, Florida State hit 12 3-pointers to beat UNC 90-57 in Tallahassee, and in the first half especially, the Seminoles were similarly successful from long range.
The Seminoles hit seven 3-pointers in the first half, while the Tar Heels made just 1-of-6 from behind the arc before the break.
With less than three minutes to go in the half, back-to-back 3-pointers gave FSU a 47-31 lead. But Harrison Barnes responded with five straight points of his own.
P.J. Hairston hit three 3-pointers in the second half to keep the Tar Heels in the game, and with just 30 seconds left in regulation, guard Kendall Marshall hit a 3-pointer to bring the Tar Heels within one point. Florida State sunk shots from the charity stripe at the end of the game, though, to seal its first ACC championship.
Harrison Barnes led UNC in scoring with 21 points, and Michael Snaer led the Seminoles with 18. UNC shot 39 percent from the field, while the Seminoles shot 59 percent, including 11-of-22 from three.
