University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
St. Augustine's (exh.)
Wright's 19 Points Lead Tar Heels To Exhibition Win
November 1, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 1, 2006
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CHAPEL HILL -- Freshman forward Brandan Wright led four Tar Heels in double figures with 19 points, 10 of which came in the first 4:27, to lead the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to a 110-79 win over Saint Augustine's in the exhibition opener for both teams Wednesday evening at the Smith Center.
Wright was joined in double figures by sophomores Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Ginyard, who had 14 points apiece, and freshman guard Wayne Ellington, who chipped in 13. Fourteen different Tar Heels scored and a dozen played at least 10 minutes.
The Falcons were led in scoring by Antonio Fitzgerald, who netted a game-high 27 points. Barry Jones added 18 and Jeff Sullivan had 11.
Carolina shot 60 percent from the floor on 39 of 65 shooting. The Tar Heels forced 25 Saint Augustine's turnovers and held the Falcons to 38.5 percent shooting from the floor.
"I think we gained some things tonight," says Carolina head coach Roy Williams. "There's no question we enjoyed playing against somebody else instead of beating up on each other like we've been doing for the last three weeks. At times I was very pleased, but at times I didn't think we played with the pace or the intensity that we need to play with.
The Falcons led 3-0 and 5-4 before the Tar Heels ran off a 24-3 spurt. Wright scored Carolina's first eight points of the evening and his fifth basket of the game at the 15:33 mark gave UNC a 13-7 lead. Six different Tar Heels - Alex Stepheson, Ellington, Danny Green, Ty Lawson, Hansbrough and Ginyard - then scored unanswered points to stretch the lead to 28-8 midway through the first half.
"Brandan [Wright] got us off to a good start early in the game," says Williams. "In the first three minutes, I think we scored two points, but in the next five or six minutes we were really effective. We had 12 guys get double-figures in minutes. I decided just this afternoon that I was just going to rotate in units. I don't know if I will do that the next game or not. I did that today to give everybody a chance to see what it felt like to get out there."
Hansbrough, picked by a number of media outlets as a National Player of the Year candidate, was 3 for 4 from the floor and 8 for 11 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds in 19 minutes.
"Tyler [Hansbrough] only gets four shots, but does get 11 free throws, so that's a pretty good option right there," says Williams. " I think everybody did some good things at times and everybody did some things that they have to improve on."
Wright finished 8 of 12 from the floor. Sophomore Bobby Frasor (six) and Lawson combined for 11 assists.
"Brandan does some outstanding things," says Williams. "The best thing about him is he has been a really quick learner. Out of everything we try to do, of the freshmen, he's probably picked up things quicker than anybody we have."
The Tar Heels led by as many as 34 points on two occasions in the second half.
Carolina returns to action on Saturday, November 11, when it plays host to Pfeiffer at 5 p.m. in the Smith Center.
