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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:25 a.m., Saturday, December 20, 2008

CBKB: Hansbrough leads Tar Heels to 85-63 win

By RICK GANO
Associated Press

CHICAGO — Once Tyler Hansbrough heated up, so did No. 1 North Carolina.

Hansbrough scored 25 points and the Tar Heels overcame a sluggish start today before rolling to an 85-63 victory over Valparaiso.

Hansbrough, who became North Carolina's career scoring leader Thursday night in a victory over Evansville, sparked runs at the end of the first half and beginning of the second.

North Carolina (11-0) won by double figures for the 11th straight game, tying a school record also held by the 1992-93 team that won the national championship.

Valparaiso (3-7) was facing the No. 1 team for the fifth straight season and the seventh time in school history. The Crusaders are now 0-7 in those games.

Urule Igbavboa, who picked up four fouls in the first half, and Michael Rogers led Valparaiso with 16 points each.

Hansbrough scored eight straight points — two free throws, a layup after a steal, a slam and a jumper — to get the Tar Heels started on a 12-0 run late in the first half that built a 38-25 lead. They were ahead 41-31 at the half.

North Carolina then scored the first nine points of the second half to pull away from the scrappy Crusaders in the game at the United Center.

One minute in the second half, Hansbrough made a nice entry pass to Deon Thompson for a basket and then muscled his way for a three-point play and a 15-point lead. Hansbrough followed that with a steal and a soft jumper to put North Carolina in control at 48-31.

Hansbrough was knocked to the floor on a hard foul by Valpo's De'Andre Haskins with 3:32 left and after making one of two free throws left the game with his team up 81-53. He shot 9-for-13 from the field.

Valparaiso came out hustling. The Crusaders forced six early turnovers with a bothersome zone defense and got 3-pointers from Rogers and Howard Little for a 12-3 lead less than five minutes into the game.

But Bobby Frasor, from the Chicago suburb of Blue Island, got the Tar Heels on track with back-to-back 3-pointers and then fed Ty Lawson for another 3 to tie the game.

Minutes later, Wayne Ellington hit another 3-pointer to give the Tar Heels their first lead at 15-14 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half. Hansbrough's first basket of the game at the 11:40 mark capped a 14-2 run and put North Carolina up three.

Moments after the 6-foot-8 Igbavboa got his third foul, Hansbrough made a steal near the top of the key and drove all the way in for the basket against Igbavboa to put North Carolina up five. After a timeout and with Igbavboa on the bench, Hansbrough took a nice pass from Frasor and dunked.

Valpo finished with 25 turnovers.

North Carolina has won 37 straight regular-season games against non-conference opponents.