Harrison Barnes scored eight of his 12 points late in the second half to help North Carolina overcome a 16-point first-half deficit and secure a 64-61 win over Virginia Tech Thursday night at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.

North Carolina (11-5, 2-0 ACC) was led by Barnes and John Henson, who scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Tar Heels, who picked up their fifth straight win.

Twelve early points form Malcolm Delaney had North Carolina on its heels from the opening tip. Virginia Tech (10-5, 1-2) led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but North Carolina used a 9-0 run over the final seven minutes of the first half to pull within seven at halftime.

The Tar Heels continued chipping away, taking a 43-42 lead on a thunderous dunk by Henson with 9:37 left in the game. Barnes hit two 3-pointers with less than four minutes left to pace North Carolina, which out-rebounded Virginia Tech 37-28 in the contest.

Delaney scored 28 points to lead the Hokies, who had a six-game winning streak snapped with the loss.