Monday Night ACC Scoreboard

JOHN HENSON (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

#5 NORTH CAROLINA 99, Nicholls State (Colonels, 7,093 students, Thibodaux. LA) 49 -- The Tar Heels got 72 (not a misprint, that’s 72A) rebounds and did nothing else right in a game that left Ol ‘Roy aggravated with everybody including himself.

“We weren’t focused, we weren’t ready to play and it’s my fault to make sure the guys don’t do that,” Williams said.

Freshman James Michael McAdoo added a season-high 14 points off the bench for the Tar Heels (10-2) as did Dexter Strickland, who still dominated the undersized and overmatched Colonels from the start. North Carolina finished with a 72-35 rebounding advantage, including 31 on the offensive glass that led to 36 second-chance points.

The 31 offensive boards were second-most in program history. The Tar Heels had 39 rebounds by halftime to match or exceed their total for six games this season, and their 72 for the game were tied for second in school history and the program’s most since 1956.

Most everything else against Nicholls State (4-8) was forgettable.

The folks working for Getty Images did get some great photos...so, at least they’ve got that goin’ for them.

MILES #21 AND MASON SPLIT BY AARON BRACKETT
(Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer)

#7 DUKE 90, UNC Greensboro (Spartans, 14,664 students, Greensboro, NC) 63 -- Freshman Quinn Cook scored all of his season-high 14 points in the second half, and No. 7 Duke routed UNC Greensboro.

Mason Plumlee had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Austin Rivers added 14 points for the Blue Devils (10-1). They shot 54 percent from the field, shook off a sluggish start and overcame 18 turnovers to win their third straight since the one-sided loss at No. 2 Ohio State.

Playing its first game since beating Washington on Dec. 10 in New York, Duke needed an 18-4 run late in the first half to take the lead for good. The Blue Devils then pulled away by opening the second half with a 29-8 burst that pushed the lead into the 30s.

GEORGIA TECH 65, Alabama A&M (Bulldogs, 4,380 students, Normal, AL) 54 -- Glen Rice Jr. scored 21 points and Mfon Udofia added all 16 of his in the second half to help Georgia Tech overcome a sluggish offensive start in a win over Alabama A&M on Monday night.

The Yellow Jackets (7-4) won their third straight despite turning the ball over on four of their first six possessions and 21 times overall. Georgia Tech trailed 10-5 eight minutes in despite the poor start, Georgia Tech rebounded behind its defense.

MARQUIS RANKIN (L) (Matt Gentry/Roanoke.com)

The Yellow Jackets who held their previous three opponents to 35-percent shooting or worse, held the Bulldogs (2-5) to 20-for-57 shooting (35.1 percent.) Georgia Tech took advantage of the misses, outrebounding Alabama A&M 47-22.

VIRGINIA TECH 84, North Florida (Ospreys, 16,719 students, Jacksonville, FL) 55 -- Dorenzo Hudson scored 16 points to help Virginia Tech win its fourth straight game.

With the win, the Hokies moved to 9-3 on the season. North Florida fell to 5-7 overall.

The Hokies broke open a close contest with an 8-0 run to close the first half. Jarell Eddie's 3-pointer with 3 seconds left - his only points of the half - gave Tech a 40-31 halftime lead.

CLEMSON 70, Alabama State (Hornets, 5,600 students, Montgomery, AL) 45 -- Devin Booker scored 13 points and Milton Jennings added 12 in leading the Tiger over Alabama State on Monday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.

BOOKER (Mark Crammer/Anderson Independent-Mail/AP)

It was Clemson's (6-4) second consecutive win heading into the Christmas holiday, which the team will spend in Honolulu, HI at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

The Tigers used offensive balance and defensive pressure to pick up the victory, much as they did in Saturday's 60-40 win over Winthrop. Booker was 3-of-7 from the floor, but he nailed seven of his eight free throw attempts and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Tigers in both categories. Jennings made all four of his field goal attempts and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. Clemson shot exactly fifty percent (24-48) for the game.

The two forwards led a solid effort for the Tigers inside. They outrebounded the Hornets 40-27 and brought down 12 offensive boards.