University of North Carolina Athletics
On This Day in Carolina History
June 21, 1999 | General
1993 -- Williams, Phelps, Lynch Spark Win Over Bearcats
Sensational defense by Derrick Phelps, the scoring of Donald Williams and great all-around play by George Lynch helped North Carolina defeat Cincinnati, 75-68, in an East Regional championship thriller at The Meadowlands.
It took an overtime period for the Tar Heels to win, but the victory sent Carolina on to New Orleans for an eventual NCAA title.
Phelps only scored three points, but may have been the central figure in the win. The Bearcats Nick Van Exel scorched Carolina for 21 first-half points as his team had a 37-36 lead at intermission. Cincinnati led by 15 points at one time before UNC rallied in the final seven minutes of the half.
However, Tar Heel Coach Dean Smith assigned Phelps to guard Van Exel constantly in the second half and to ignore UNCs normal changing defenses. Van Exel scored only two points the rest of the way, hitting only one of 10 shots.
Lynch finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Williams added 20 points for Carolina. Eric Montross also was in double figures with 15.
Neither team led by more than four points in the second half with Cincinnati tying the game, 66-66, on Tarrance Gibsons driving layup with 35.4 seconds to play.
Corie Blount gave Cincinnati a quick 68-66 lead in overtime, but the Bearcats never scored again as they missed their last eight shots. Carolina quickly tied the game when Brian Reese fed Lynch for a layup. Then Phelps found Williams open for a three-pointer and the lead. A steal by Lynch led to another Williams three-pointer, basically sealing the outcome.
