By Mike Bonts, GATORS INSIDER
Kennedy Meeks led North Carolina with 18 points and 13 rebounds as the No. 5 Tar Heels defeated 18th-ranked Florida, 75-64, in the fifth-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Friday.
Marcus Paige scored 16 points, Brice Johnson had 10 and seven rebounds and Justin Jackson and J.P. Tokoto chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Kasey Hill had a game and career-high 20 points and Michael Frazier finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for the Gators, who have dropped two of their last three games.
North Carolina opened the game on a 12-0 run, capped off by Marcus Paige with 14:00 minutes left in the first half. The Tar Heels held the lead the entire game.
Florida converted on 18-of-23 free throws and entered this week ranked 18th in the country in free throw percentage (76.8).
With tonight’s 75-64 win, UNC holds the all-time series lead, 4-2, including 1-1 under head coach Billy Donovan. The only meeting during Donovan’s tenure came in the 2000 Final Four in Indianapolis, propelling the Gators to their first national championship game appearance.
The Tar Heels (5-1) were coming off a 78-56 win over No. 22 UCLA on Thursday.
GATORS NOTES: Tonight’s game was Florida’s final contest at the Battle 4 Atlantis and its first this season first game against an opponent ranked at the time of the game. With the loss, Florida is now 7-7 vs. non-SEC AP top-five teams under Donovan, including 6-2 on a neutral court.
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