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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Maryland
Tar Heels Cruise Past Terps, 81-57
February 26, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - In a season of amazing consistency, Tyler Hansbrough found a new way to surprise at least one of his teammates.
He still dominated on his way to 21 points and seven rebounds on Sunday night against Maryland. Only this time, the effort came quietly.
"I would have never expected he had that many," point guard Bobby Frasor said. "But he gets his points in bunches."
Hansbrough finished with at least 20 points for the 11th time this season while David Noel and Marcus Ginyard each added 12 points, helping No. 21 North Carolina beat Maryland 81-57.
The Tar Heels (19-6, 10-4 ACC) solidified their hold on second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind No. 1 Duke. They clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament and took a half-game lead over North Carolina State, with fourth-place Boston College one game back.
North Carolina shot only 41 percent from the field - the first time in five games it failed to make at least half its shots - to improve to 8-1 in the past month.
"I never try to have expectations, I always have hopes," said North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who now has won at least 19 games in each of his 18 seasons. "My hopes are always high. I feel very fortunate to coach a wonderful group of kids."
For the Terrapins (16-11, 6-8), Ekene Ibekwe had 12 points and Mike Jones added 11.
"Our backs are definitely against the wall," Maryland guard D.J. Strawberry said. "We've got to try and finish 8-8, then carry that momentum into the ACC tournament."
The Tar Heels completed a season sweep by holding the Terrapins to less than 30 percent shooting for three straight halves, dating back to a 77-62 victory earlier this month.
"I think our defense had something to do with that, but they missed some easy shots," Williams said. "We've got to feel fortunate for that."
Ginyard's 3-pointer midway through the first half gave North Carolina a 10-point lead, and the margin quickly grew. It was 46-28 soon after halftime before Maryland finally found some offense. Jones swished a 3, Travis Garrison turned a turnover into a layup and James Gist made a jumper.
"To get it to 11 was good," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "We worked hard to get there."
But the margin still was there when the Tar Heels began pulling away.
Noel scored on consecutive possessions and reserve Byron Sanders tipped in a miss by Danny Green to make it 54-39. A fast-break jumper by Quentin Thomas continued what eventually became a 15-6 run, finished off when Ginyard put back a miss by Noel.
"I knew my team needed me to step up, and at that time, I was getting some good looks," Noel said. "I just took them, and they went in. For the most part, that was their last run."
When the lead reached more than 20, Roy Williams allowed his walk-ons and other bench players finish out the rout.
Hansbrough was a big reason, and the 6-foot-9 center continued his efforts to become the first freshman in school history to lead the team in scoring and rebounding. He has scored in double figures in all but one game, and he leads the Tar Heels in four offensive categories.
"Hansbrough deserves all the attention he gets," Gary Williams said. "When they get the ball to him seven feet from the basket, they feel pretty good that they are going to score."
During that decisive run, he made the most of a nifty pass from Noel to score as he was fouled by Gist, one of two three-point chances Hansbrough had in the second half. He uncharacteristically failed to convert either, about the only thing he did wrong in this one.
"I always think there are things I can do to improve," Hansbrough said. "I could have finished some shots, or gotten some defensive stops. But I'll keep on trying to improve and look forward to the next game."
