Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 4, 1993 TAG: 9304040242
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FRANK VEHORN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS LENGTH: Medium
HEELS RUB OUT JAYHAWKS
When Donald Williams was deciding which college to attend, several basketball recruiters warned he would be wasting his talent by going to the University of North Carolina.Williams is a shooter, and those others seeking his service claimed he wouldn't get the opportunity to do much of that playing for Dean Smith.
"I wonder what they are saying now," Williams, smiling, mused Saturday after helping the Tar Heels to a 78-68 semifinals victory over Kansas and into their first men's NCAA Tournament championship game since 1982.
"I bet they're saying I made a smart decision now," Williams said.
Anyone would be foolish not to do so.
Williams, with a game-high 25 points, shot North Carolina to its victory in the Louisiana Superdome, where the Tar Heels won the 1982 championship on their last visit.
The slender, 6-foot-3 sophomore from Garner, N.C., made five of seven 3-point attempts to supply the balance for 7-foot teammate Eric Montross, who crammed in 23 points down low.
Senior George Lynch from Roanoke, Va., also had a strong performance, getting 14 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
Willliams' last 3-pointer, with 2:37 remaining, broke the will of the gritty Jayhawks, who had thrived on second-half comebacks this season.
Darrin Hancock had hit two free throws that cut Carolina's lead to 68-65 when Williams shook free from the Jayhawks' full-court pressure.
He snatched a lob pass from Derrick Phelps after crossing midcourt and immediately fired a soft jumper that breezed through the net.
"That was a big 3-pointer," said Kansas coach Roy Williams, who saw his team make two turnovers and rush a poor shot on their next three possessions.
Williams put in two free throws at 1:23 that put the game out of the Jayhawks' reach.
"I felt good taking that shot," Williams said of the 3-pointer. "I had a good look at the goal, and we had good board coverage."
Carolina led all of the way after the opening seconds, but Kansas stayed close with outside shooting by Rex Walters in the first half and by Adonis Jordan in the second half.
Jordan sank two 3-pointers as Kansas made a run to cut Carolina's lead from eight points to three right before Williams snuffed out the rally.
"That last 3-pointer was really big for them," said Jordan, who also was 5-for-7 on 3-point attempts.
Williams said he never had any doubts about being able to use his shooting ability when he decided to play for North Carolina.
"I told Coach Smith what the other schools were saying and he just laughed," Williams said. "He told me that I could shoot as much as I wanted, as long as I made them."
Still, Williams does not have a green light to put it up any time he wants, as he learned during the early minutes against Kansas.
The Tar Heels had quick success going inside, building a 12-6 lead, and after Williams rushed a couple of shots from outside he found himself on the bench, in a conversation with Smith.
"Coach told me to not be in such a hurry," Williams said. "After that, I settled down and let the game come to me."
He was 3-for-4 on 3-point shots by halftime, when Carolina led 40-36.
Brian Reese said he knew Williams was pumped for his first NCAA semifinal game.
"I told him that I was ready to play, and he told me that he was going to show me just how ready he was," Reese said.
Reese and Phelps helped the Carolina offense with passes inside to Montross. Each had six assists.
With Williams hitting from the outside, Kansas couldn't afford to overplay Montross too much.
"I'm buying Donald's dinner tonight," Montross said.
Phelps also did a grand job on defense. He was on Jordan in the first half when Walters was hot, getting 13 points.
Walters got only six points in the final half when Phelps switched to him. However, Carolina did not leave the dome to prepare for Monday night's NCAA championship game without some concerns.
Phelps bruised a hip during a fall in the second half, and he played the rest of the game with pain. He said it was a different place than the tailbone that he hurt during the ACC Tournament.
"I'll play Monday," he vowed. "It might hurt, but I've gotten used to playing with pain."
\ see microfilm for box score
Memo: a slightly different version ran in the New River edition.