Tar Heels relish close call in victory
If North Carolina fans were bundles of nerves as the top-ranked Tar Heels played their first game against a nationally ranked opponent and nearly met their match, coach Roy Williams didn’t seem to mind it one bit.
“I told them during two different timeouts I loved this scenario,” Williams said. “I thought this was great for us.”
The result didn’t hurt either, when Wayne Ellington’s 3-pointer with less than one second remaining provided a 90-88 overtime victory at then-No. 19 Clemson.
“We feel very fortunate to win, to say the least,” Williams said. “This game will be worth more than just one game if we can learn from all the good and bad things.”
There were plenty of both.
“It showed we have the composure to come back with a big win,” Ellington said.
“It was just a joy to get a win and get out of there,” North Carolina point guard Tywon Lawson said.
It was a game in which players had to brace for just about anything, particularly around the basket where countless rebounds were contested for with a get-it-or-else mentality.
“It was real physical,” North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough said.
With the teams trading possessions at rapid-fire speed during some segments, Tyler Hansbrough nearly got lost in the shuffle.
Hansbrough’s seven shots from the field were his fewest since taking six in the opener against Davidson. On Sunday night, five of his teammates took more shots from the field.
“It seemed like there weren’t a lot of set plays,” Hansbrough said.
Hansbrough collected a game-high 14 rebounds.
STEPHESON RETURNS: North Carolina power forward Alex Stepheson was expected to return to Chapel Hill on Monday night and rejoin the Tar Heels for games this week.
Stepheson, a key reserve, has missed the past two games after heading home to California because of his father’s illness.
“We need some other big guys,” Williams said.
Williams said Stepheson will practice today and should play Wednesday night when UNC Asheville visits the Smith Center for a non-league game.
Stepheson, who’s averaging 3.5 points and 18.1 minutes per game, missed games against Kent State and Clemson. Second-semester classes resume Wednesday at North Carolina.
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