CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson had 22 points and nine rebounds as No. 14 North Carolina held off Syracuse 87-77 on Monday night after building a 32-point lead midway through the second half.
Syracuse shaved the deficit to six with 42 seconds remaining before the Tar Heels finally closed it out from the free-throw line.
Henri Veesaar added 17 points and 11 boards for his Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 12th double-double. Jonathan Powell scored 12 points and Luka Bogavac had 10 for the Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3), who will carry a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown with No. 4 Duke in Chapel Hill.
Wilson went 6 of 14 from the field and reached 20 points for the 16th time, most by a UNC freshman.
Donnie Freeman finished with 23 points and eight rebounds to lead Syracuse (13-10, 4-6), which lost for the fifth time in six games. Naithan George added 15 points.
The Tar Heels led 72-40 with 9:40 left before Syracuse made it respectable late with an 11-1 run.
Back-to-back 3s by Veesaar and Powell gave UNC its first-double digit lead at 23-12. Syracuse hit seven straight shots to get back within five, but the Tar Heels answered with a 12-0 spurt to open a 46-32 advantage at halftime.
Eighteen of Freeman’s points came in that first half, when the Orange shot 44% but committed nine turnovers.
Syracuse visits No. 18 Virginia on Saturday.
North Carolina hosts No. 4 Duke on Saturday.
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Syracuse forward Kiyan Anthony, left, drives against North Carolina center Henri Veesaar (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Martin Fehervary and Anthony Beauvillier scored 31 seconds apart in the second period, and the Washington Capitals beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Monday night.
Clay Stevenson won his second straight game in goal for the Capitals, who pulled within two points of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Stevenson has been forced into action with Washington's top two goalies — Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren — both injured.
This was Stevenson's third NHL game.
Nic Dowd also scored for the Capitals in his 500th game with the franchise. John Carlson scored into an empty net with 2:25 to play on a shot that traveled almost the entire length of the ice.
New York led 1-0 after one period on a goal by Mathew Barzal. Tom Wilson's errant pass from the corner in his own zone ended up on Barzal's stick right in front of the net.
Wilson made up for that in the second, feeding Fehervary on a give-and-go, and the Washington defenseman tied the game. It was the fourth goal of the season for Fehervary, who is on Slovakia's roster for this month's Olympics.
Less than a minute later, Beauvillier jammed the puck past Islanders goalie David Rittich to the short side.
Dowd scored in the third when he sent the puck across the goal mouth toward Alex Ovechkin and it bounced in off Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
The Capitals have won three straight after going nearly two months without consecutive victories. Washington has points in five of its last six.
Islanders: Host Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
Capitals: Play at Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas (53) battles for the puck against Washington Capitals goaltender Clay Stevenson (33) and left wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal, center, celebrates after his goal with center Bo Horvat (14) and left wing Ondrej Palat (81) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New York Islanders left wing Jonathan Drouin (29) skates with the puck in front of Washington Capitals center Aliaksei Protas (21) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals left wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) celebrates his goal with left wing Alex Ovechkin, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry (42) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
