John Camden poured in 20 points, Dai Dai Ames added 19 and California ended its three-game losing streak with a thrilling 84-78 Atlantic Coast Conference victory at home over No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday.
Justin Pippen made two clutch free throws with 10 seconds to play to help the Bears (14-5, 2-4 ACC) hold off a furious rally by the Tar Heels (14-4, 2-3).
The Bears fueled their success by shooting 53.8% (14 of 26) from beyond the arc, notching their second win over a ranked team this season. Pippen tallied 19 points and five assists.
Caleb Wilson scored 17 points to lead the Tar Heels, who have dropped two in a row and have allowed 58 3-pointers in the last four games. Derek Dixon (14), Henri Veesaar (14) and Seth Trimble (12) also reached double figures.
California led 54-37 at the half and Ames extended the lead to 61-41 with 18:17 remaining, knocking down his third trey of the day.
North Carolina didn’t fold, and an 18-3 run late in the game pulled the Tar Heels within 77-73 with 3:21 to go after Jaydon Young made two free throws.
It was 79-75 after Trimble’s free throws with 1:47 remaining and 81-78 after Veesaar’s 3-pointer with 19 seconds left.
North Carolina has struggled to slow down opponents from the 3-point line lately, and that continued early against California, as the Bears scored the first seven points and led 10-3 with 17:22 left after Ames buried California’s second 3-pointer of the day.
The Tar Heels responded with a 7-0 run, knotting the score at 10-10 on a long-range shot from Trimble with 16:16 remaining.
The burst of momentum didn’t last long as the Bears used a 16-3 run, including 11 straight points, to surge in front 26-13 with 11:10 to go after a Milos Illic layup.
The Tar Heels were within 31-26 after a pair of free throws by Veesaar with 6:51 to play.
In the final 4:22, however, California blitzed North Carolina, making five shots from beyond the arc, including two apiece from Pippen and Camden, and rolled into halftime with a 17-point cushion.
–Field Level Media
