University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Charlotte
Haywood's Buzzer-Beater Lifts Tar Heels Past UNC Charlotte
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
December 12, 1998
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - After two overtime games in as many seasons, No. 7
North Carolina is in no hurry to put North Carolina-Charlotte back on its
schedule.
After not playing each other for more than three decades, the Tar Heels (10-1) got their second straight scare from the 49ers, needing a late second-half rally and an overtime follow at the buzzer by Brendan Haywood to salvage a 75-73 victory Saturday night.
"It has always been our policy to play out-of-state teams and travel more," North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge said. "We don't have anything on the horizon (with them) right now."
That's probably good for Guthridge's health.
"I really don't know how we won," added Guthridge, who is 5-1 in overtime games since replacing Dean Smith. "I'm glad it didn't go into another overtime, I don't think I could have taken another overtime."
North Carolina had to go to overtime to beat the 49ers (6-3) in the second round of the NCAA tournament a season ago. And the first regular-season meeting between the two was just as close down the stretch after the Tar Heels led by 10 at halftime.
"This is a positive statement, but at the same time there weren't many smiles in our locker room," 49ers coach Bobby Lutz said after another close one against the Tar Heels. "We think we belong, we can play with people.
"We look forward to winning some of these games. I don't always want to finish second."
The Tar Heels scored the first five points in overtime to take a 69-64 lead, but the 49ers, who had two starters foul out in the extra period, rallied to tie it at 70-70 on a layup by Charles Hayward.
Ed Cota and Diego Guevara then traded 3-pointers in the final 28 seconds - Guevara hitting his seventh of the game with 11 seconds remaining to set up the final seconds of drama.
Cota dribbled down to the left corner and threw up a contested 10-foot jumper, which was long. Ademola Okulaja got a hand on the rebound, which came to the 7-foot Haywood. He grabbed it with two hands and put it in as the horn sounded.
"I don't want to be in this situation at home," Cota said when asked if this would be a season of close games for the Tar Heels. "At home we need to put teams away.
"The crowd really got into it in the second half, but in the overtime when we got up by five everybody was in their seats," Cota added. "I was trying to get the crowd up to make some noise."
Cota and Kris Lang led North Carolina with 17 points each.
Guevara, who scored 21 points, made five 3-pointers in the second half, his long-range shot and a three-point play by Galen Young giving the 49ers a 60-54 lead with 4:34 left in regulation.
But it's no accident the Tar Heels have won 54 straight non-conference games at the Smith Center. North Carolina battled back behind Lang and Jason Capel, and had a chance to win it in regulation, but Young played great defense on Cota and his contested shot at the buzzer missed.
The 49ers came into the game allowing opponents to shoot only 35 percent, but the Tar Heels blistered them for 59 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
But it was a different story in the second half as N.C. Charlotte got hot from outside, going on a 17-5 run to take the lead with 16:53 left and no team led by more than six the rest of the way.
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
