No. 8 North Carolina holds off Syracuse, 75-70

North Carolina Coach Roy Williams, center, applauds his team's performance during the first half.

By Associated Press

Feb. 29, 2016 9:12 PM PT

Brice Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 8 North Carolina beat Syracuse, 75-70, on Monday night at Chapel Hills, N.C.

Joel Berry II had 13 points and two key late free throws for the Tar Heels (24-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led by as many as 13 points after halftime but had trouble putting the game away against Syracuse’s zone.

The Tar Heels led by one point near the two-minute mark, but Isaiah Hicks and Johnson scored to help keep the Orange (19-11, 9-8) at bay.

Michael Gbinije scored 17 points for the Orange, which shot 41% and made only five of 20 three-point shots.

No. 1 Kansas 86, at No. 23 Texas 56: Perry Ellis scored 20 points and the Jayhawks (26-4, 14-3) clinched the Big 12 Conference championship.

Kansas already had earned at least a share of a 12th consecutive conference title.

The Jayhawks made 11 three-point baskets and led by 24 points by halftime.

Javan Felix scored 13 points for the Longhorns (19-11, 10-7).

at No. 21 Iowa State 58, Oklahoma State 50: Abdel Nader scored 19 points, and Georges Niang had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Cyclones (21-9, 10-7 Big 12 Conference), who clinched their fifth consecutive winning season in conference play.

Iowa State broke open a tight game with an 11-0 run to start the second half.

Tavarius Shine, Jeff Newberry and Joe Burton each scored nine points for the Cowboys (12-18, 3-14), who have lost five games in a row.

Women

Breanna Stewart had 27 points and 13 rebounds to help top-ranked Connecticut overcome its first halftime deficit in nearly a year and beat No. 20 South Florida, 79-59, at Storrs, Conn.

Kia Nurse scored 15 points for the Huskies (29-0, 18-0 American Athletic Conference), who trailed, 25-24, after the first half.

The Huskies completed the program’s eighth undefeated regular season and extended the third-longest winning streak in NCAA and program history to 66 games.

Courtney Williams scored 21 points for the Bulls (21-8, 14-4).

The conference tournament begins Friday in Uncasville, about 30 miles south of Storrs.