No. 19 North Carolina 75, Northern Kentucky 60: James Michael McAdoo scored 14 points to help the Tar Heels knock off the visiting Norse.

Leslie McDonald and Marcus Paige added 11 points apiece as North Carolina (9-3) prevailed despite a sluggish effort. The Tar Heels blocked 15 shots and had a 42-32 rebounding edge.

Tyler White scored 13 points and Jalen Billups added 12 for Northern Kentucky (4-8), which had a three-game winning streak halted. The Norse shot just 33.3 percent from the field, including 5-of-23 from 3-point range.

North Carolina was unable to pull away from Northern Kentucky until nearly seven minutes into the second half. McAdoo scored 10 points during an 11-3 surge that turned a seven-point margin into a 55-40 lead with 9:28 to play.

The Norse began the game by missing 12 of 13 shots as the Tar Heels took a 14-2 lead. North Carolina led by as many as 14 before Northern Kentucky pulled within three late in the half and the Tar Heels took a 35-30 lead into the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Tar Heels post players Isaiah Hicks, Desmond Hubert and Brice Johnson each had three blocks and Paige had a game-high nine rebounds. … Northern Kentucky also struggled with its shooting at the start of the second half by missing its first seven shots. … North Carolina was 21-of-31 from the free-throw line, while the Norse were 11-of-16.