honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, November 27, 2008

Top-ranked Tar Heels rout No. 8 Irish for Maui title

Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

North Carolina's Danny Green, right, plays tight defense on Notre Dame's Ryan Ayers.

CHRIS CARLSON | Associated Press

spacer spacer

LAHAINA, Maui — Tyler Hansbrough had 34 points against a Top Ten team and his coach said he's about 75 percent. Top-ranked North Carolina won the EA Sports Maui Invitational by almost 30 points per game and its coach said the team can get a lot better.

Wow.

Hansbrough, playing in just his third game of the season because of leg injuries, led the Tar Heels to a 102-87 victory over No. 8 Notre Dame last night in the championship game to win this title for the third time.

"He's about 75 percent but he played better than that tonight. He was really fired up," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said of the reigning national player of the year. "It's been tearing at him not to be able to play."

It showed.

Hansbrough was 13-of-19 from the field, hitting his shots down low, throwing down dunks and even making a 3-pointer. He grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots, including one by Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, like Hansbrough a preseason All-America.

"One thing when you're missing games is that it plays a little bit in your mind because you want to be out there but you have to take care of your body," Hansbrough said. "To get a couple under my belt made me feel better about my game. I still feel out of shape, but that will come as I play."

It wasn't all Hansbrough for the Tar Heels (6-0), however.

Point guard Ty Lawson had too much speed in the open court for the Fighting Irish (4-1) and he finished with 22 points and 11 assists. He was selected tournament MVP after totaling 22 assists against two turnovers in the three games."

"It was just basically my teammates making shots for me and taking care of the ball, not putting it in jeopardy," Lawson said. "That's what I've been doing and I'm playing real well right now."

Harangody, despite being sick all day, had 13 points and seven rebounds.

THIRD PLACE

NO. 6 TEXAS 70, OREGON 57: Damion James had 21 points and 12 rebounds and scored the last seven points of a 21-1 run which the Longhorns (4-1) used for a 23-8 lead with 7:09 left in the first half in cruising past the Ducks (3-3) for third place.

FIFTH PLACE

Alabama 58, Saint Joseph's 48: Alonzo Gee had 19 points and eight rebounds, and the Crimson Tide (3-2) closed the first half on a 10-0 run and scored the first basket of the second half for a 31-18 lead to turn back the Hawks (2-3) in the fifth-place game.

SEVENTH PLACE

Indiana 81, Chaminade 79: Tom Pritchard had 19 points and nine rebounds as the Hoosiers (3-2) hung on to beat the Division II host Silverswords (3-0) for seventh place after Noah Gottlieb's running 3-pointer from the left side at the buzzer fell short.

RANKED MEN

No. 10 Purdue 71, Boston College 64: E'Twaun Moore scored 19 points and the Boilermakers (5-0) led by 16 with six minutes left before a late surge by the Eagles (3-2) in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden in New York.

No. 11 Oklahoma 77, UAB 67: Blake Griffin scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Sooners (5-0) finished the game with a 17-5 run to beat the Blazers (4-1) and advance to the final of the NIT Season-Tip Off tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.

WAC MEN

Pacific 67, Nevada 59: Bryan LeDuc scored 23 points,including 12 during a 28-8 run for a 51-38 lead with 8:30 left, and Terrel Smith added 15 points as the Tigers (2-1) rallied past the Wolf Pack (2-2) at Reno, Nev.

RANKED WOMEN

No. 4 Oklahoma 83, Marist 57: Freshman guard Whitney Hand scored 20 points and Courtney Paris had her 97th straight double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds as the host Sooners (4-1) routed the Red Foxes (3-1) at Norman, Okla.

No. 10 Maryland 68, South Dakota State 56: Kristi Toliver scored 16 points and Lynetta Kizer added 15 points to help the Lady Terps (4-1) beat the Jackrabbits (4-1) at the Cancun Caribbean Challenge in Canun, Mexico.

No. 15 Auburn 91, UAB 62: DeWanna Bonner scored 20 of her 29 points in the second half, including 12 straight in a 16-4 run to propel the Tigers (5-0) past the Blazers (1-3) at Birmingham, Ala.

No. 18 Oklahoma State 84, New Orleans 54: Tegan Cunningham scored 23 points, including consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 12-0 run which opened up a 28-point lead as the Cowgirls (3-1) routed the Privateers (2-2) at Stillwater, Okla.

No. 24 Michigan State 74, No. 23 Old Dominion 48: Lauren Aitch had 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench and the Spartans (6-0) opened the second half with a 22-4 run for a 51-26 lead in routing the Monarchs (3-2) at East Lansing, Mich.

No. 25 Xavier 57, LSU 48: Dee Dee Jernigan had 15 points and eight rebounds, and the Musketeers (3-2) used an 8-0 run for a 50-42 lead and the Lady Tigers (1-2) got no closer than four thereafter Baton Rouge, La.