Little, Johnson lead No. 7 North Carolina past Saint Francis

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Cameron Johnson scored 20 points, freshman Nassir Little added 19 and No. 7 North Carolina beat Saint Francis of Pennsylvania 101-76 on Monday night in the on-campus round of the Las Vegas Invitational.

Luke Maye had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Kenny Williams had a career-high nine assists and freshman Coby White finished with 16 points for the Tar Heels (5-0), who shot 52 percent and never trailed.

North Carolina fought through some early turnover trouble and finally pulled away from the pesky Red Flash (1-3) before reaching triple figures for the third time in four games.

Jamaal King had 21 points, Andre Wolford scored 18 and Keith Braxton added 14 to lead the Red Flash, who shot 34 percent yet early in the second half were within striking distance of their first Top 25 victory since 1959. They pulled to 58-52 with less than 15 minutes left on Braxton's pretty layup between two defenders.

Williams hit a big 3-pointer and Johnson followed with a steal and a layup to start the decisive 11-0 run and put the Tar Heels back up by double figures to stay.

BIG PICTURE

Saint Francis: The Red Flash certainly haven't been afraid to challenge themselves. This was the second of three Top 25 opponents in an eight-day span. They acquitted themselves much better than in their last matchup - a 95-58 loss to No. 20 UCLA - and especially in their last visit to the North Carolina Triangle, a 124-67 setback at then-No. 1 Duke last December.

North Carolina: There wasn't a whole lot in this one that pleased coach Roy Williams, at least not early. When the Tar Heels weren't fouling the Red Flash, they were throwing the ball to them - with 12 turnovers in the first 24 minutes that led to 18 points for Saint Francis. This became the blowout everyone expected once UNC tightened things up, turning it over just six times in the final 16 minutes.

UP NEXT

Saint Francis: Visits No. 13 Virginia Tech on Friday.

North Carolina: Faces Texas on Thursday night in the Las Vegas Invitational.