University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Loyola-Chicago
No. 8 North Carolina Rolls Over Loyola of Chicago, 109-60
December 12, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 12, 2004
By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Jawad Williams scored 17 points and was one of six North Carolina players in double figures Sunday as the eighth-ranked Tar Heels beat Loyola of Chicago 109-60.
Rashad McCants and Marvin Williams each added 16 points for the Tar Heels (7-1), who shot 58 percent from the field and had no trouble winning their seventh straight game.
Blake Schilb scored 15 points to lead the Ramblers (2-6).
It was an impressive way for North Carolina to come back from a weeklong layoff after last weekend's 91-78 win over Kentucky. And it was yet another strong performance from a team that has rolled to a series of impressive wins since a stunning loss to Santa Clara in last month's opener.
The Tar Heels practiced as a team only twice all week due to final exams, but showed no signs of rust Sunday and never trailed for the fifth time in seven games.
North Carolina outrebounded Loyola 43-25, forced 21 turnovers and had 13 steals. In addition, the Tar Heels went 10-for-18 from 3-point range and 23-for-27 from the free throw line.
North Carolina never put together an awe-inspiring run to build its big lead. Instead the Tar Heels just overwhelmed the Ramblers, methodically building a double-digit lead over the first 6 minutes and spending the rest of the game increasing it.
The Tar Heels just had too much athleticism and speed for Loyola, with Raymond Felton pushing the ball up the court in transition. Felton twice stole passes in front of coach Roy Williams and the North Carolina bench to start the break in the first half, throwing down a one-handed slam on the first and feeding David Noel for a layup on the second.
On another fast break, Felton pushed the ball up the court after a Loyola miss and found Sean May for a slam and a 25-9 lead with 12{ minutes left.
The Tar Heels led 63-36 at halftime, shooting 23-for-34 (68 percent) and getting contributions from nine players. That included reserve guard Wes Miller, who drained a 3-pointer just before the break that drew a roar from the Smith Center crowd.
After that, the only drama left was just how many points the Tar Heels would score. They led 93-46 on Melvin Scott's layup with about 11 minutes left, but slowed down dramatically before cracking the 100-point mark on a steal-and-slam by Reyshawn Terry with 4:24 left.
