CHAPEL HILL, N.C. _ North Carolina graduate senior Cam Johnson knew that he would have to play better than he had in recent games if the 12th-ranked Tar Heels were going to beat No. 4 Gonzaga on Saturday.
Before he scored 21 points (7-for-14) against UNC-Wilmington on Dec. 5, UNC's leading scorer scored only five points against then-No. 7 Michigan, and the Tar Heels lost, 84-67.
Against the Zags on Saturday, he seemed to get his groove back. The only thing Johnson seemed to have trouble with was missing shots. He scored 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting, and the Tar Heels took down the Zags, 103-90, at the Dean E. Smith Center.
It was the second consecutive loss for Gonzaga (9-2), and the second consecutive win for UNC (8-2).
Junior point guard Seventh Woods had a career-high 14 points. He scored six consecutive points before halftime to give the Tar Heels a 53-39 lead at the half.
The last time UNC and Gonzaga faced each other was in the 2017 national championship game, which UNC won, 71-65.
There was hardly an empty seat Saturday night. The Tar Heels came into the game hoping to pick up a marquee win against one of the top teams in the country. The fourth-ranked Zags had been the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll, before losing to Tennessee 76-73 last Sunday.
The Tar Heels finally got that win.
The Bulldogs led the Tar Heels 9-5 after five minutes, but that was the last time they would have the lead. The Tar Heels went on a 19-3 run over the next five minutes, and never really looked back.
The Zags managed to get the score to within 10 points on a few occasions, but each time the Tar Heels had an answer. The Tar Heels shot 55 percent from the floor, and 52 percent (13-25) from behind the 3-point line.
Gonzaga star Rui Hachimura had 17 points, but was 5 for 14 from the floor.
Johnson was the story of the game. He was 6 for 8 from 3. He hit a 30-foot, 3-point shot with just under six minutes left in the game to give the Tar Heels a 17-point lead.
As the clock ticked toward zero, and UNC coach Roy Williams put in his reserves, Johnson raised his hands in the air, urging the crowd to get on their feet. They screamed.
The Tar Heels had finally got their marquee win.
