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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Buffalo
Men's Basketball Overpowers Buffalo
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
December 8, 1998
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - No. 7 North Carolina worked on its struggling offense the last two days, and it paid off in the second half Tuesday night.
Ademola Okulaja scored 10 points during an early second-half run as the Tar Heels got their offense on track in a 98-49 rout of Buffalo.
During one stretch, North Carolina outscored the Bulls 51-9.
"The first 15 minutes was just awful," said North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge, who watched his club commit 14 first-half turnovers just three days after losing its first game of the season to the College of Charleston.
"I thought we regained some poise and then in the second half it was very good," he added. "I think our timing is just a little off and we had been working on that. But it was way off early."
Okulaja, who was 3-for-9 from the field in the first half, sank 5 of 7 shots during the Tar Heels' 25-3 run to start the second half, extending a 19-point halftime lead to 41 with 11:36 left.
Okulaja finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Brendan Haywood scored 20 points. The 7-foot center hit 8 of 9 shots before Guthridge emptied his bench with 10 minutes remaining as North Carolina (9-1) scored its most points this season.
"We were basically humiliated in the second half," said Buffalo coach Tim Cohane. "We'll move on and get better.
"It was a good measuring stick for our players for when we finally do get to the NCAA tournament," added Cohane, whose team was outrebounded 60-24. "Maybe this was a humbling factor for some guys who wondered why they weren't recruited to some of these schools. Now they know why. North Carolina has some awesome talent."
Maliso Libomi led Buffalo (3-4) with 12 points.
The Tar Heels, coming off a six-game, 13-day road trip, started slowly, but held a 3-to-1 edge on the boards and cruised to their 53rd straight non-conference win at the Smith Center.
"We are just underestimating teams," North Carolina point guard Ed Cota said of the slow start. "I can't tell you how well we're going to be until we play another good team and see what type of intensity we come out with. Right now, we are not coming with the right attitude."
Buffalo, starting three sophomores and one freshman, was no match for the taller Tar Heels, who scored a majority of their baskets inside the paint or on follow shots.
The Tar Heels turned the ball over eight times in the opening eight minutes and trailed 15-14 before going on a 16-2 run to take command of the game.
Haywood and Cota each had six points in the spurt, with Cota hitting a 3-pointer and converting a three-point play on a fast-break to cap the run.
Buffalo, the worst shooting team in the Mid-American Conference, managed only two baskets and six points over the final 12 minutes of the first half to fall behind 40-21.
The Bulls never got closer than 19 the rest of the way as North Carolina went on its 8 1/2-minute run to start the second period and Buffalo ended up shooting a season-low 28.6 percent.
