Filed under: Wake Forest, ACC, North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Tyler Zeller scored 18 points to help No. 19 North Carolina beat Wake Forest 78-64 on Tuesday night.Freshman Harrison Barnes added 17 points as the Tar Heels (19-6, 9-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) maintained sole possession of second place in the league with an easy win against a struggling instate rival. North Carolina scored the first seven points, pushed ahead by double figures midway through the first half and maintained a comfortable margin the rest of the night.
But the Tar Heels didn't look sharp while playing in front of a flat crowd against the last-place Demon Deacons (8-18, 1-10). They shot 37 percent including a miserable 5-for-27 from 3-point range against Wake Forest's zone defense. They also led just 63-55 with 6 1/2 minutes left before running off 11 straight points to finally seal a win in an otherwise forgettable performance.
Barnes at least provided some spark during that clinching spurt. First he threw down a dunk in the lane while drawing a foul from Ari Stewart for a three-point play that made it 67-55. About a minute later, Barnes caught a pass from Kendall Marshall in transition and dunked over freshman J.T. Terrell to make it 71-55.
Marshall closed the run with his only basket, hitting a 3 to make it 74-55 with 2:40 left.
North Carolina has won 12 of 14 since losing to Texas on a last-second shot in December and sits just behind fifth-ranked Duke in the ACC standings. Still, it's hard to imagine coach Roy Williams will take a lot of positives from an ugly win.
John Henson added 14 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Tar Heels, while Leslie McDonald had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Terrell scored 18 points to lead the Demon Deacons, who have lost five straight.
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Source: http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2011/02/15/north-carolina-cruises-by-wake-forest/
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