Staff photo by Robert Willett
• Photo gallery: UNC 84, LSU 70
GREENSBORO — The last time UNC was tested in the NCAA Tournament, Kansas pushed the Tar Heels out of the Final Four.
LSU pushed UNC on Saturday in the second round and the Heels' stars pushed right back. Ty Lawson, playing for the first time in three games, and Wayne Ellington scored 23 points each to lead UNC to an 84-70 win over the Tigers.
Tyler Hansbrough contributed 15 points, carrying UNC's offense in the first half.
All but two of Lawson's points came in the second half and in direct response to LSU's strong second-half start. The Tigers bolted out to a 13-2 run to start the second half and led the Tar Heels by as many as five before Lawson and Ellington pulled the Heels
back in front.
Lawson's three-point play at 7:41 gave UNC a 67-63 lead. Danny Green, AWOL in the postseason, added a second-chance 3-pointer to put the the first nail in LSU's coffin.
UNC threatened to run LSU out of the NCAA Tournament at the end of the first half, stretching out to a 10-point lead before settling in at 38-29 at the break.
Tasmin Mitchell scored the first eight points of the second half for LSU.
Lawson, who had missed the previous three games with a toe injury, scored the first six points of the second for UNC. His 3-pointer at 16:18 tied the game at 44.
LSU took the lead, 42-41, at 17:02 with a cutting layup by Marcus Thornton. At that point, UNC coach Roy Williams had seen enough and called timeout.
Lawson played 14 minutes in the first half but had an injury scare. He went to the bench at the 11:04 mark, grimacing in pain. The eighth-seeded Tigers led 20-19 when Lawson checked back in with 7:04 left in the first half.
Lawson looked at full-speed in the first five minutes and went to the bench for a regular substitution. He came back in and then dove for a loose ball. He was tied up on the ground and then played until the next stoppage.
Lawson went to the bench and checked back in four minutes later.
Comments
UNC just needs to
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 11:23 — UNC1998take care of the team in front of them. If all pistons are firing, the championship is their's to win. This LSU game was exactly what they needed. I feel very good about how they handled it.
PS
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 20:41 — GrizzlySpitterIsnt it great to be able to read about basketball and not have annoying state fans lurking and hating? The step children on Hillsborough street were put to be early.
Why is it great for a Pack fan to read about a UNC win?
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 11:05 — JPDOhioWe don't have to read all the whining posts from Tar Heel fans calling for Roy's head. Roy can't coach. Roy doesn't know when to call a time out. Blah, blah, blah.
And talk about haters. Your team has an excellent chance to win the national championship (as long as Ty Lawson is healthy enough to contribute) and you can't help taking a shot at State. Pathetic.
The REFS were terrible
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 20:39 — GrizzlySpitterI do not want to sound like a State fan, but come on. Hess sucks.
They Played
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 19:21 — jeromfitza game like should be schedule for next week but the low seed on SEC Conference Champs got LSU scheduled this week. I have to respect LSU because the really throw it up from downtown until the last 8 minutes when Carolina went on a run. The three point shot after a couple of misses by Green gave Carolina a lot of hope pushing the lead up to about 7 points and then the man (Lawson) came back in to put LSU on ice. It was a good game and proud of how UNC didn't fold in too early. Carolina showed their depth on the bench with Davis playing the game of his young career being the shot blocker that Carolina has lack the last couple of years. The rest of the game was pure hustle.