CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina stacked another must-have game in the win column by a healthy margin on Saturday.

The Tar Heels took care of Virginia 81-66 in ACC basketball at the Smith Center, and picked up their third victory in a row.

Jae'Lyn Withers continued his sudden surge in productivity, delivering 16 points on the strength of four 3-pointers and a season-high 11 rebounds. Ian Jackson supplied 16 points off the bench, as UNC didn't trail for the third consecutive game. The Tar Heels (17-11 overall, 10-6 ACC) won for fourth time across the last five games.

Carolina improved to 11-2 in home games this season, and wasn't threatened after roaring ahead to a 19-point lead in the game's opening 8½ minutes on this final Saturday before the month of March. Four regular-season games remain for the Tar Heels.

Ven-Allen Lubin added 14 points and six rebounds, RJ Davis chipped in 12 points despite a rough shooting outing (3-for-14) from the field, and Drake Powell finished with 11 points. UNC secured sizable advantages in rebounding (35-21), second-half points (17-2) and points in the paint (36-22).

Withers and Jackson hit a combined 7-for-9 from 3-point range. The Tar Heels collectively shot 9-for-16 beyond the arc (56.3 percent), their best 3-point percentage since December 2021.

Isaac McKneely's 17 points and Dai Dai Ames' 12 points topped Virginia (13-14, 6-10), which arrived after suffering a beatdown loss to Duke earlier in the week.

Tar Heels build another big first-half lead

Carolina led 46-34 by halftime, after Elliot Cadeau went the length of the court and scored on a racing lay-in, but wasn't able to beat the first-half horn. Replays showed the ball still in Cadeau's right hand when time expired and the red lights lining the backboard illuminated, as did the ensuing review by the officiating crew.

The Tar Heels built a commanding first-half lead for the second time in as many games. After zooming ahead of NC State and leading by 20 during the game's opening 12 minutes on Wednesday night, UNC bolted ahead of Virginia 21-2 out of the gate here Saturday. Drake Powell's three-point play on an inbounds situation and Ian Jackson's 3-point swish capped a 15-0 burst by the Tar Heels, who led by 19 in the game's first 8½ minutes. UNC connected on 10 of its first 14 shots from the field.

UVa used a 14-3 run to get within 24-16 and later trailed 39-32, but Carolina's 46 points marked the highest scoring output allowed by the Cavaliers in a first half this season. Jae'Lyn Withers had 11 points and five rebounds by halftime. He buried three 3-pointers during the first half, moving him to 8-for-11 from 3-point range across the last three games.

Collectively, UNC drained 6-for-8 beyond the 3-point arc during the first half. Ian Jackson and Ven-Allen Lubin scored eight first-half points apiece. Lubin produced six of the Tar Heels' first 11 points, as Carolina stormed out of the gate at the beginning. UNC started the game by grabbing an 11-0 rebounding advantage, and led 17-5 in that category by halftime.

Next on the schedule

UNC is tasked with navigating a quick turnaround to Monday night's road assignment at Florida State (7 p.m., ESPN). It's the second of two Saturday-Monday sequences in ACC league play this month for the Tar Heels, who edged Pittsburgh 67-66 two weeks ago at home, before falling hard 85-65 in a consequential road loss two nights later at Clemson. Monday night's matchup against FSU marks Carolina's only meeting with the Seminoles during the regular season. The Tar Heels are 6-9 away from home this season (4-6 in road games and 2-3 in neutral-site games).

Florida State lost 89-81 at No. 25 Louisville on Saturday afternoon. The Seminoles (16-11, 7-9) are in their final days under 76-year-old Leonard Hamilton, the longtime coach who's stepping down at the end of the season after 23 seasons on the FSU job. UNC leads the all-time series 53-16 against Florida State, including 19-8 in road games, all of which have been played at the Tucker Center (formerly the Leon County Civic Center). The Tar Heels have won their last five meetings with the Seminoles.