Freshmen Harrison Barnes scored 19 points and Leslie McDonald added 17 to lead North Carolina over Long Beach State 96-91 in a non-conference game at the Dean Smith Center Saturday.

McDonald came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers all in the first half as the Tar Heels (7-3) won their third straight game.

T.J. Robinson led all scorers for Long Beach State with 31 points. Casper Ware finished with 22 for the Niners, who fell to 5-6.

North Carolina went on an 18-4 run late in the first half to take control of the contest.

The 49ers led 25-23 following a 3-pointer by Tristan Wilson, but Kendall Marshall tied the game at 25 on the Tar Heels’ next possession and McDonald followed with a 3-pointer to put North Carolina ahead to stay.

North Carolina led 48-34 at the half and built the advantage to as much as 17 in the opening minutes of the second half before Long Beach State made a long run and cut the deficit to two on two separate instances in the second half.

Leading 79-76 with 5:38 to play, North Carolina scored the next eight points to finally put the game away.

After losing two straight, the Tar Heels have won three in a row, including a victory over No. 11 Kentucky, its lone victory over a ranked team this season.