ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 9, 1997 TAG: 9703110036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES
UNC extends its winning streak to 11 games and halts Wake's bid for a third straight ACC title.
This was no pretender that ended Wake Forest's reign as ACC men's basketball champion.
North Carolina has worn the crown before, and the Tar Heels are starting to take on their familiar regal bearing.
Of course, upstart North Carolina State might have something to say about that in the ACC title game at 1 p.m. today, but the Wolfpack wouldn't want the Tar Heels to play any better than they did Saturday.
Fifth-ranked Carolina shot 68 percent in the second half and used balanced scoring to offset a 33-point performance by Tim Duncan in an 86-73 triumph at the Greensboro Coliseum.
``Who did we lose to today?'' said Wake coach Dave Odom. ``We lost to a team that probably is playing the best basketball in the country right now ... the team that is playing closest to its potential.
``Maybe you need to put an asterisk next to that, because I haven't seen everybody in the country play and I haven't seen N.C. State. Maybe they're [the Wolfpack] playing as close to their potential, as well.''
Eighth-seeded State came into the tournament with a three-game winning streak, second only to Carolina's nine-game streak. The Wolfpack squandered late leads in both regular-season games with UNC.
``It isn't like we've killed them this year,'' said North Carolina coach Dean Smith. ``I think we beat them by one and then trounced them by one. We've been lucky to beat them twice. I'd be happy to be lucky a third time.''
There was no luck involved in Saturday's game. Carolina (22-7) outrebounded the Deacons 39-21, committed only 10 turnovers and converted 17 of 21 free throws, including 13 of 15 in the second half.
Smith said he thought the Deacons played ``extremely well,'' and, if Odom disagreed with him, it was only a matter of degrees. The Deacons (23-6) committed nine turnovers and shot nearly 46 percent from the floor.
``Of course, Tim Duncan's 14-for-21 [shooting] had something to do with that,'' Odom said, ``but he is part of our team, you know? A week ago, I was down and distraught. I don't feel that way now.''
The game didn't start to get away from the Deacons until after a timeout with 7:27 remaining. Carolina guard Ed Cota picked off a pass by Joseph Amonett and passed to Shammond Williams for a layup that made it 63-55. With the shot clock about to expire, Cota hit a 3-pointer with 5:02 left to make it 71-59.
Cota, a 6-foot-1 freshman guard, finished with 13 points and seven assists in 29 minutes off the bench. Carolina's only other substitute, center Makhtar Ndiaye, played four minutes.
Williams, a junior who starts at point guard but moves to the wing when Cota enters the game, had a team-high 24 points and seven assists. Seven-foot-3 center Serge Zwikker had 17 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
``Early on, we were the kind of team that might come downcourt and make one pass and shoot,'' said All-ACC forward Antawn Jamison, who had 13 points and seven rebounds. ``We've put all of our egos aside. If I'm not playing well, I know somebody else will step up.''
Jamison did not play poorly Saturday, but he and the other Carolina big men had their hands full with Duncan, whose 33 points matched his career high, set against Maryland during the 1995-96 season. He had 11 of Wake's first 13 points in the second half, but had only four points in the last 12:58.
``The story is, we didn't make outside shots,'' Odom said. ``Maybe we took too many. I see Tony Rutland's line: 5-for-14, all 3s. He's got to be more aggressive. That's what got us in trouble in the first place.''
Rutland finished with 20 points, but fellow perimeter players Jerry Braswell, Ricardo Peral and Steve Goolsby were a combined 2-for-16 from the field.
``It's disappointing,'' Duncan said of the Deacons' failed bid for a third consecutive title. ``At the same time, we've come a long, long way in the last week. There's another tournament next week, so there's a lot more out there for us.'' NOTE: please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS. Wake's Tim Duncan (21) beats Northby CNBCarolina's Serge Zwikker and Antawn Jamison (right) to the ball for
one of his 10 rebounds. color. 2. ASSOCIATED PRESS The North
Carolina bench reacts to Ed Cota's clutch 3-pointer late in the Tar
Heels' 86-73 victory over Wake.