COL BKB: Syracuse 87, North Carolina 71

NEW YORK, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Wesley Johnson tallied 27 points Friday and No. 24 Syracuse ran off 16 straight points in the second half to shock fourth-ranked North Carolina 87-71.

The traditional powerhouses met in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic, played in Madison Square Garden. Ohio State won the third-place game earlier in the evening over California.

North Carolina, which suffered its initial loss of the season in five games, surrendered the first eight points of the contest and then came back to take a 39-37 halftime lead.

Syracuse, however, went on its big run early in the second half to build a 59-40 cushion and the Tar Heels could not recover. Syracuse improved to 4-0. North Carolina became the highest-ranked team in the country this year to lose a game.

Johnson made 11-of-18 shots from the field, but could connect on just 1-of-5 from the foul line. Arinze Onuaku added 15 points and the Orange shot 55 percent for the game.

North Carolina was led by Ed Davis with 16. The Tar Heels converted on just 4-of-18 attempts from 3-point range.