Chapel Hill, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Brice Johnson posted 18 points and 14 rebounds as 15th-ranked North Carolina kept up its strong recent play with a 78-74 victory over Florida State. Marcus Paige added 19 points and Justin Jackson put up 14 in the Tar Heels ninth triumph in their last 10 outings. North Carolina (16-4, 6-1 ACC) will take a five-game win streak into a difficult upcoming stretch against Syracuse, Louisville and No. 2 Virginia. Florida State (10-10, 2-5) hung tough for most of the afternoon, with Xavier Rathan-Mayes career-high 35 points keeping the Seminoles in it, before ultimately being dealt its fourth loss in its last five in ACC play. Though the Tar Heels were in front most of the way, their lead was just 67-63 with under five minutes remaining after Rathan-Mayes knocked down jumpers on consecutive possessions. The teams then traded free throws before North Carolina began to draw clear down the stretch. Jackson tipped in a Paige miss and J.P. Tokoto followed with a successful midrange shot after Rathan-Mayes missed a 3-point try, with the basket extending the lead to 71-63 with 2:57 to go. Florida State came up empty on its next four trips down the court as well, and the margin was 10 when Kennedy Meeks scored for UNC with 46 seconds left. Rathan-Mayes buried a trio of 3-pointers thereafter, however, with the final one trimming FSUs deficit to 75-72 before Paige helped seal the outcome by making a pair of foul shots with 16 seconds to play. The Tar Heels opened up a 21-12 advantage nearing the midway mark of the first half after Paige scored the final five points of a 9-1 run, and the differential was 11 points when Tokotos bucket with five minutes left in the period put North Carolina up by a 30-19 count. Florida State then began to heat up offensively, hitting three straight shots to finish off a 12-3 spurt. The last of those makes, a 3-pointer from Devon Bookert, pulled the Seminoles within 33-31 prior to Jacksons jumper in the final minute that sent North Carolina into the break ahead by four. A 6-0 stretch staked the Tar Heels to a 54-45 lead with under 10 1/2 minutes remaining, and owned a 63-54 edge until another Booker trey ignited a 7-2 FSU flurry. Game Notes Rathan-Mayes previous career high was 26 points, set against the Citadel on Nov. 25 ... Johnson finished 7-of-9 from the field ... Tar Heels guard Nate Britt, questionable coming into the game after he sustained a lacerated lip that required 15 stitches in Wednesdays win at Wake Forest, did play and scored four points in 14 minutes ... North Carolina improved to 10-0 when Jackson scores in double figures ... The Tar Heels improved to 19-4 all-time against Florida State in Chapel Hill and have won five straight overall in the series. Swell Levně . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. Swell Lahev . The Flames announced Monday that Treliving, a former assistant general manager with the Coyotes, will take over the vacant GM spot in Calgary. "Im ready for this,"Treliving said. http://www.swelllahevcz.com/ . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal.FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. DEMAR DEROZAN (Raptors): Hopefully, hes back sooner rather than later. Hell be missed by his team - obviously. Hes such a competitor. After getting hurt the other night, he kept trying to play on his injured foot. He loves the game and Im so impressed with his progress over the years. DeRozan is a mature and serious young man. There is a reason above and beyond his physical ability why hes a good player; he has worked incredibly hard on his skills, his strength and conditioning and is a student of the game. It would be nice to see him make the All Star game. In the meantime, Raptors really need to buckle down defensively and find scoring and consistency in other areas, could be a challenge. Big one tonight here in New York City vs. the red hot Nets. 2. SHAUN LIVINGSTON (Nets): When you watch the Raptors tonight it is always nice to see a guy who has fought back from a devastating injury to have success. When he was a young player with the Clippers, Livingston had a chance to be a special player in this league and then it all got derailed. He has made a difference with Brooklyn, being a sound defender who sets the tone for his team. In the absence of Deron Williams, his leadership was critical for Coach Jason Kidd turning this team around. Not a flashy player yet his smarts, toughness and consistency are a big part why the Nets are surging right now. 3. SPENCER HAWES (Sixers): Hawes has really developed in the past few years into a steady Post player. His rebounding instincts are solid while his back to the basket game has improved. He is also a capable face up shooter. He passes the ball quite well from both the low and high post and is a good fit in a teams attack.dddddddddddd When I saw him as a young player at the University of Washington and when he was on the Sacramento Kings, I didnt envision him to have this upside. Hes really carved out a nice niche in Philly. 4. JAMAAL CRAWFORD (Clippers): Raptor fans got to see first-hand why Crawford is probably the best sixth-man in the NBA right now. He dropped 37 points on them, but more importantly he had an amazing 11 assists as well. What a luxury for Doc Rivers brining him off the bench. He changes the game completely when he comes in. You better check him from behind the three-point arc and his dribble moves are tantalizing. Hes bounced around a lot and Ive never understood why - hes always been a good player. Clips are lucky to have him. Hell steal a playoff game or two for them. 5. AL JEFFERSON (Bobcats): Sure, they spent above market value to get Jefferson but in a market like Charlotte, which has had a rough go of it lately, you have to acquire talent somehow. Hes been a good player for them. 19 points per game and 10-plus rebounds per games as well, while shooting 48 % has really helped their team. Hes in terrific shape and has been quite engaged in the rebuilding process. He plays with a terrific front court partner in Josh McRoberts, who does all the little things while Jefferson racks up the points and boards. If the Bobcats add perimeter shooting, (theyre awful in those categories -bottom eight in field goal and three-point field goal percentage) it will really open things up for their team in future years. You can never have enough shot makers. ' ' '