CHAPEL HILL – In less than a four-minute span, Elon went from hanging around No. 9 North Carolina to leading the Tar Heels inside their own hallowed hall Monday night.

But an old reliable hot hand lifted the Tar Heels to a 90-76 victory on a night that had many UNC fans on the edges of their seat more in fear than excitement.

A sometimes-entertaining UNC team flirted with running away from the Phoenix but couldn’t quite hit that next gear. But then the unthinkable happened: a 12-point Tar Heels lead midway through the second half became a two-point deficit in a span of 3:55.

A 14-0 Elon run allowed it to forge a 71-69 lead with 6:48 remaining, and major national shocker was unfolding.

“We talked about in a huddle, 'how are you going to react? How are you going to respond,’” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said after the game.

So, how did the Tar Heels respond?

RJ Davis.

The reigning ACC Player of the Year, and preseason pick to repeat the honor, lifted his mates onto his capable shoulders and triggered a 21-5 run to close out the game. Starting when it was 71-69, Davis scored 10 of UNC’s next 16 points positioning it in safe mode from embarrassment.

“The biggest thing is he kept shooting,” veteran forward Jae’Lyn Withers said about RJ Davis. “Usually, like if guys get to missing, they slow down shooting and try to let it come to them, he just stayed aggressive.”

The Elon run that stunned the 17,242 in attendance was paced by two players. T.J. Simpkins and Nick Dorn, whose father was a star football player at UNC and played in the NFL, and whose brother was recently a starting safety with the football Tar Heels and had a short stint in the NFL.

Simpkins scored eight of the 14 points in the run and Dorn had the other six, both on 3-pointers. One was part of a five-point play that really flipped the game on its head.

Dorn converted a three with 8:27 left, but UNC’s Jalen Washington was called for a foul off the ball allowing Elon to maintain possession. Fifteen seconds later, Simpkins scored on a driving layup cutting the margin to three. It was at that point everyone in the Smith Center seemingly realized the Tar Heels were in danger of losing.

On the ensuing possession for the Tar Heels, Withers’ shot at the rim was blocked by 7-foot-4 Elon center Matthew Van Komen leading to a three by Dorn tying the game with 7:12 remaining.

Yet, the Phoenix wasn’t done. Simpkins hit a pair of free throws giving Elon the lead at 71-69 with 6:48 left.

The game truly changed, however, when the program’s fifth all-time scorer took over.

“That’s very special,” sophomore point guard Elliot Cadeau said about having Davis doing his thing. “I don’t think there’s anybody like RJ in the country, I feel like he’s the best guard in the country. Just to have him on our side if very special.”

It began with a Davis jumper at 6:35 and then a 3-pointer at 6:11 putting UNC back in the lead for good at 74-71. That triggered an 11-0 UNC run that included a 3-pointer and free throw by Cadeau, and layup by Washington for an 80-71 advantage with 4:52 remaining.

Davis’ other points came on a jumper for an 82-73 lead and a three for an 85-73 advantage.

He finished with 24 points on 7-for-19 shooting. Davis was 3-for-13 when the eruption started. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists on the night.

The Tar Heels had a scare Monday night, but they also had an answer.