
DATE: Friday, March 14, 1997                TAG: 9703140848

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.               LENGTH:   81 lines

RECORD-TYING WIN VS. LOWLY FAIRFIELD ONE DEAN WON'T SOON FORGET

It was a historic night, alright. But very nearly the wrong kind for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

As expected, UNC coach Dean Smith tied Adolph Rupp's record for college coaching victories Thursday, but not before the 16th-seeded Fairfield Stags nearly made history of their own.

The Stags, 29-point underdogs, stayed dead even with the Tar Heels well into the second half before falling 82-74 in an opening round NCAA tournament game at Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum.

``No one likes to go out with an L,'' Fairfield coach Paul Cormier said. ``But if you have to go out, this was the way to do it.''

A No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. And with its 11-18 record, Fairfield was considered a below-average 16 seed.

The Stags, however, made career win No. 876 one Smith is not likely to forget - and not just because it ties him with Rupp.

UNC (25-6) trailed by seven at halftime, and needed 63 percent shooting in the second half to put away the Metro Atlantic Conference representatives.

``I don't know whether we played better all year than we did in the second half,'' Smith said. ``We had two turnovers for the game.''

The Tar Heels, in fact, set a school record for fewest turnovers. They shot 51.6 percent from the floor, hit 10 of 14 foul shots, and yet still couldn't shake the Stags.

``We couldn't stop them,'' Smith said. ``We tried everything. They hit against the man. They'd hit against the zone.''

Fairfield led 35-28 at halftime after shooting 56 percent.

``I told them at halftime we were 20 minutes away from one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history,'' Cormier said.

North Carolina opened the second half with a 9-2 run, and tied the game at 37 with 17:07 left. Fairfield stayed even for another 10 minutes, before the Tar Heels began punching the ball inside to 7-foot-3 center Serge Zwikker, who scored eight of his 19 points in the final 6:30.

Fairfield was within three, 72-69, with 3:33 left, but didn't score again for three minutes. North Carolina's repeated trips to the free throw line provided the final margin.

Forward Antawn Jamison admitted afterward the Tar Heels might have taken Fairfield a lightly.

``We weren't ready for the game,'' he said. ``Maybe we were overconfident, we thought we had it locked up, that they would lie down because we're North Carolina.''

Fairfield didn't. Guard Greg Francis burned the Tar Heels for a game-high 26 points, and hit 8 of 12 from 3-point range. Fairfield also outrebounded the much-larger Tar Heels 34-28.

``I've felt that hot before,'' Francis said. ``They just didn't always go in.

``We knew they had the advantage. But the way we've been playing lately, we were supremely confident.''

Their confidence grew the longer they stayed in the game. Throughout the second half, just when it appeared the Tar Heels had opened up a decent working lead, Fairfield responded.

``They were like mosquitoes out there,'' Jamison said. ``They were on fire. They couldn't miss a thing.''

Fairfield finally cooled in the final five minutes, when North Carolina's defensive pressure was too much to handle. A key play came with 3:48 left, when UNC's Shammond Williams (21 points), picked John Tice's pocket and scored on a layup. Williams' basket gave the Tar Heels a 72-66 lead.

``We definitely played better in the second half,'' forward Ademola Okulaja said. ``We had to.''

The win was UNC's 17th straight in the first round of the tournament.

``At halftime, I told them that Murray State led us with 10 minutes to play (in 1995),'' Smith said. ``And we came back to win and went to the Final Four.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color photo]

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kyle Commodore of sixteenth-seeded Fairfield helped keep Vince

Carter and top-seeded North Carolina off balance most of the night.

The outcome was up in the air until the final minutes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Fairfield guard John Tice grabs a rebound away from UNC center Serge

Zwikker, who got it going late. The Stags were withing three with

3:33 left.