Crescent-News.com - Heels use a familiar formula

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina kept running the court, knocking down shot after shot and building a big lead that Michigan State never would erase.

Sound familiar?

Eight months after beating the Spartans to win the national championship, the 10th-ranked Tar Heels did it again to No. 9 Michigan State. This time, they got career-best scoring performances from sophomores Ed Davis and Larry Drew II in Tuesday night's 89-82 victory that could be key for a young team that's still taking shape after losing so much star power from last season.

Davis scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting for the Tar Heels (7-1), while Drew had 18 points and hit five free throws in the final minute to help the Tar Heels hold off a late rally by the Spartans (5-2). North Carolina, which shot 58 percent, led by as many as 19 points early in the second half to beat Michigan State for the second straight year in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

It was probably the best performance of the young season for a team that lost NBA first-round draft picks Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington from last season's champion.

"It's still early, early in the season," coach Roy Williams said. "We're not going to make too much of this game. It's one game. It's a big win. We're going to love it until midnight, then we'll start thinking about the next game we play."

The teams met twice last season at Detroit's Ford Field, with North Carolina winning by 35 points in the early season Challenge. Then came the 89-72 win in April for the program's fifth NCAA championship, a game in which North Carolina led by 24 points in the first half.

The Spartans were 2 of 20 from 3-point range and 7 of 42 from outside the paint after shooting 56 percent overall and 47 percent from behind the arc in the previous three games.

Raymar Morgan scored 18 points to lead the Spartans, while Kalin Lucas added 15 points, including three baskets in the final 2 minutes as the Spartans got as close as six points.

Big Ten-ACC Challenge

Maryland 80, Indiana 68

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Greivis Vasquez scored 23 points and Landon Milbourne had 19 points, leading Maryland to a victory over Indiana.

Maryland (5-2), playing at Indiana for the first time, ended a two-game losing streak and became the first ACC team to win in this year's Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

The Hoosiers (3-4), who have lost four of their last five, were led by freshmen Maurice Creek with 19 points and Christian Watford, who had 16 points.

Indiana rallied from a six-point deficit in the second half, finally taking the lead at 49-48 on Creek's 3-pointer.

But Indiana made only three baskets over the final 9:44, and Maryland pulled away by outscoring the Hoosiers 26-12 over the last 8:49.

Northwestern 65, N. Carolina St. 53

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Michael Thompson scored 22 points and Northwestern beat North Carolina State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Jeremy Nash added 12 points for the Wildcats (6-1). Northwestern led by 14, only briefly trailed and won its fifth straight -- the last three coming against teams that entered unbeaten.

Tracy Smith had a season-high 23 points -- including 10 in a row down the stretch for the Wolfpack (5-1) -- on 9-for-18 shooting. Dennis Horner had 11 points and Javier Gonzalez added 10 for the Wolfpack, who lost for just the fourth time in 29 nonconference home games under Sidney Lowe and were held to a season-low point total.

Purdue 69, Wake Forest 58

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- E'Twaun Moore scored 22 points to help No. 4 Purdue beat Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and nine rebounds and Robbie Hummel added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Boilermakers (6-0), who are enjoying their highest AP ranking since 1996.

C.J. Harris and Ishmael Smith each scored 14 points and freshman Al-Farouq Aminu added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Wake Forest (4-2).

Virginia Tech 70, Iowa 64

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Malcolm Delaney scored 18 points, Terrell Bell added 13 and Virginia Tech held on to beat Iowa in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Victor Davila and Jeff Allen each had 10 points for the Hokies (5-1), who are now 2-3 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- with both wins coming against Iowa.

Anthony Tucker had a season-high 24 points for the Hawkeyes (2-5), who lost despite shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.

Top 25

No. 13 Florida 80, Florida A&M 59

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Dan Werner scored 16 points and Alex Tyus added 15 for Florida. Vernon Macklin finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Gators, who improved to 7-0 for the first time since 2005.

Christopher Walker led the Rattlers (0-9) with 19 points and six rebounds.

No. 22 Cincinnati 94, Texas South. 57

CINCINNATI -- Rashad Bishop scored 14 points in a balanced offense and Cincinnati rolled in its first game as a ranked team in nearly four years.

Seven Cincinnati (5-1) players finished in double figures. Freshman Lance Stephenson had a career-high 11 rebounds, seven points and seven assists, flirting with Cincinnati's first triple-double since Eric Hicks had one during that 2005-06 season.

MAC

Central Michigan 78, Chicago St 40

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Chris Kellermann led five Central Michigan players in double figures. Kellermann scored 18 points, and his eight rebounds tied teammate Jalin Thomas for game honors. Thomas added 13 points, Jordan Bitzer 12, Robbie Harman 11 and Marko Spica 10 for the Chippewas (3-4), who snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Cougars (3-3) were led by Marquis Young's 12 points.

Temple 76, West. Michigan 70

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Ryan Brooks had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Temple players in double figures. Craig Williams and Juan Fernandez had 14 points each for Temple (5-2), and Lavoy Allen added 13.

David Cool had 30 points to lead the Broncos (2-3), Donald Lawson added 14 and Whitfield Flenard had 13.

Other

IPFW 69, So. Ill.-Edwardsville 64

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Nick Daniels hit a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 33 seconds left to boost IPFW. Daniels added two free throws with 12 seconds to go for the final margin for the Mastodons (2-3). He finished with 10 points.

Deilvez Yearby led IPFW with 21 points, Ben Botts added 11 and Antwone Snead grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

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Home \| Back Heels use a familiar formula E-mail Story \| Print Story \| Comments \| * AP Wire December 2, 2009 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina kept running the court, knocking down shot after shot and building a big lead that Michigan State never would erase. Sound familiar? Eight months after beating the Spartans to win the national championship, the 10th-ranked Tar Heels did it again to No. 9 Michigan State. This time, they got career-best scoring performances from sophomores Ed Davis and Larry Drew II in Tuesday night's 89-82 victory that could be key for a young team that's still taking shape after losing so much star power from last season. Davis scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting for the Tar Heels (7-1), while Drew had 18 points and hit five free throws in the final minute to help the Tar Heels hold off a late rally by the Spartans (5-2). North Carolina, which shot 58 percent, led by as many as 19 points early in the second half to beat Michigan State for the second straight year in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It was probably the best performance of the young season for a team that lost NBA first-round draft picks Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington from last season's champion. "It's still early, early in the season," coach Roy Williams said. "We're not going to make too much of this game. It's one game. It's a big win. We're going to love it until midnight, then we'll start thinking about the next game we play." The teams met twice last season at Detroit's Ford Field, with North Carolina winning by 35 points in the early season Challenge. Then came the 89-72 win in April for the program's fifth NCAA championship, a game in which North Carolina led by 24 points in the first half. The Spartans were 2 of 20 from 3-point range and 7 of 42 from outside the paint after shooting 56 percent overall and 47 percent from behind the arc in the previous three games. Raymar Morgan scored 18 points to lead the Spartans, while Kalin Lucas added 15 points, including three baskets in the final 2 minutes as the Spartans got as close as six points. Big Ten-ACC Challenge Maryland 80, Indiana 68 BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Greivis Vasquez scored 23 points and Landon Milbourne had 19 points, leading Maryland to a victory over Indiana. Maryland (5-2), playing at Indiana for the first time, ended a two-game losing streak and became the first ACC team to win in this year's Big Ten-ACC Challenge. The Hoosiers (3-4), who have lost four of their last five, were led by freshmen Maurice Creek with 19 points and Christian Watford, who had 16 points. Indiana rallied from a six-point deficit in the second half, finally taking the lead at 49-48 on Creek's 3-pointer. But Indiana made only three baskets over the final 9:44, and Maryland pulled away by outscoring the Hoosiers 26-12 over the last 8:49. Northwestern 65, N. Carolina St. 53 RALEIGH, N.C. -- Michael Thompson scored 22 points and Northwestern beat North Carolina State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Jeremy Nash added 12 points for the Wildcats (6-1). Northwestern led by 14, only briefly trailed and won its fifth straight -- the last three coming against teams that entered unbeaten. Tracy Smith had a season-high 23 points -- including 10 in a row down the stretch for the Wolfpack (5-1) -- on 9-for-18 shooting. Dennis Horner had 11 points and Javier Gonzalez added 10 for the Wolfpack, who lost for just the fourth time in 29 nonconference home games under Sidney Lowe and were held to a season-low point total. Purdue 69, Wake Forest 58 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- E'Twaun Moore scored 22 points to help No. 4 Purdue beat Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. JaJuan Johnson had 21 points and nine rebounds and Robbie Hummel added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Boilermakers (6-0), who are enjoying their highest AP ranking since 1996. C.J. Harris and Ishmael Smith each scored 14 points and freshman Al-Farouq Aminu added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Wake Forest (4-2). Virginia Tech 70, Iowa 64 IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Malcolm Delaney scored 18 points, Terrell Bell added 13 and Virginia Tech held on to beat Iowa in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Victor Davila and Jeff Allen each had 10 points for the Hokies (5-1), who are now 2-3 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- with both wins coming against Iowa. Anthony Tucker had a season-high 24 points for the Hawkeyes (2-5), who lost despite shooting 44 percent from 3-point range. Top 25 No. 13 Florida 80, Florida A&M 59 GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Dan Werner scored 16 points and Alex Tyus added 15 for Florida. Vernon Macklin finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Gators, who improved to 7-0 for the first time since 2005. Christopher Walker led the Rattlers (0-9) with 19 points and six rebounds. No. 22 Cincinnati 94, Texas South. 57 CINCINNATI -- Rashad Bishop scored 14 points in a balanced offense and Cincinnati rolled in its first game as a ranked team in nearly four years. Seven Cincinnati (5-1) players finished in double figures. Freshman Lance Stephenson had a career-high 11 rebounds, seven points and seven assists, flirting with Cincinnati's first triple-double since Eric Hicks had one during that 2005-06 season. MAC Central Michigan 78, Chicago St 40 MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Chris Kellermann led five Central Michigan players in double figures. Kellermann scored 18 points, and his eight rebounds tied teammate Jalin Thomas for game honors. Thomas added 13 points, Jordan Bitzer 12, Robbie Harman 11 and Marko Spica 10 for the Chippewas (3-4), who snapped a three-game losing streak. The Cougars (3-3) were led by Marquis Young's 12 points. Temple 76, West. Michigan 70 KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Ryan Brooks had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Temple players in double figures. Craig Williams and Juan Fernandez had 14 points each for Temple (5-2), and Lavoy Allen added 13. David Cool had 30 points to lead the Broncos (2-3), Donald Lawson added 14 and Whitfield Flenard had 13. Other IPFW 69, So. Ill.-Edwardsville 64 EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Nick Daniels hit a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 33 seconds left to boost IPFW. Daniels added two free throws with 12 seconds to go for the final margin for the Mastodons (2-3). He finished with 10 points. Deilvez Yearby led IPFW with 21 points, Ben Botts added 11 and Antwone Snead grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. 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