UNC Trio Take Bite Out Of Bulldogs Win 98-77

Posted by Jeff Sack under Slam Dunk NCAA

Bring Dynamite and a crane
Blow you up, start all over again
Build a town be proud to show
Give the name Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road John D. Loudermilk

The Gonzaga Bulldogs got quite a taste of Tobacco Road in their mouths Friday night and it did not leave a pleasant after taste. The University of North Carolina shot 52.9% (36-68) from the floor and an incredible 57.9% (11-19) from outside the arc en route to a 98-77 drubbing of Gonzaga. UNC got strong performances from their starters led by Tyler Hansbrough who recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 boards. The Tar Heels back-court also was key as Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington each scored 19 points.

The two teams kept it close for the first nine minutes of the game. However UNC started to put some distance between themselves and Gonzaga with 10:45 as Wayne Ellington drained a trey giving his team a 26-18 advantage. The Tar Heels would have the lead up to double digits soon after and walked into the locker room at the half on top 53-42. Things got pretty ugly pretty fast for the Bulldogs as the second half progressed. Ellington drove the lane put the ball in the bucket, was fouled on the play and hit his shot at the line. North Carolina led 77-57 with 11:34 on the clock. Gonzaga never recovered.

Tyler Hansbrough had 24 points, 10 points and 2 steals in the UNC victory. Ty Lawson put in 19 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal while Wayne Ellington also scored 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Danny Green added 13 points, 7 assists, 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Jeremy Pargo paced Gonzaga with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal while Josh Heytvelt added 14 points. Micah Downs had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 1 block while Austin Daye had a double-double 10 points, 11 boards, 4 blocks and 2 assists. UNC advances Sunday to the “Great Eight” as they match-up against the Oklahoma Sooners.

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