Top 25 Basketball Monday’s game


November 10, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Top 25 Basketball Monday’s game

North Carolina 88, Florida International 72

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Deon Thompson scored 20 points to help No. 6 North Carolina spoil Isiah Thomas’ college coaching debut and beat Florida International in the 2K Sports Classic. Ed Davis added 13 points for the defending national champion Tar Heels (1-0), who had little trouble with the undersized Golden Panthers. North Carolina shot 56 percent and led by double digits much of the way to kick off its centennial season against Thomas, the Hall of Fame player and former NBA coach who took over the long-struggling program in April. His debut came on the same day his 86-year-old mother, Mary, had open-heart surgery in Chicago. Marvin Roberts had 18 points for the Golden Panthers (0-1), who shot 37 percent.