Third-ranked North Carolina needed a gritty comeback to keep its amazing string against Clemson intact. No. 5 UCLA never could put together such a run against Washington.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 13 of his 39 points in the two overtime periods to help the Tar Heels rally from a 15-point deficit and beat Clemson 103-93, keeping North Carolina perfect in 53 games against the Tigers in Chapel Hill.
In Seattle, Justin Dentmon, benched in favor of a freshman for most of the season, scored 20 points to lead previously wayward Washington to a 71-61 upset of the Bruins.
Wayne Ellington added 28 points for the Tar Heels (22-2, 7-2 ACC), who set an NCAA record for the longest home winning streak against one opponent. The previous record was 52, set by Princeton against Brown from 1929-2002.
North Carolina did it by shaking off an emotionally draining loss to No. 2 Duke and proving it could win without injured point guard Ty Lawson, erasing Clemson’s 11-point lead in the final 3 minutes of regulation.
hey got off to a terrific start behind their fullcourt pressure, forcing the Tar Heels into turnovers on their first five possessions, taking an 8-0 lead in the first 2 minutes and holding North Carolina to nine points in the first 9 minutes.
“Fellas, it wasn’t looking good. We were looking at a 30-point (loss) there about 5 or 6 minutes into the game,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. “If I live to be 106, I won’t be any more proud of a group of kids than I am of that bunch right there.”
Even Quentin Thomas, the one-time third-stringer pressed into duty with Lawson out, came up with some key plays late. The senior hit a driving shot to force the first overtime and two free throws to force the second, finishing with six points and a career-best nine assists.
“We never gave up,” said Hansbrough, who is averaging 29.7 points and 17.3 rebounds over his last three games. “That’s what’s special about this win for us.”
In other Top 25 games Sunday, No. 13 Xavier beat Saint Joseph’s 76-72, and No. 14 Indiana topped Ohio State 59-53.
UCLA (21-3, 9-2 Pac-10) trailed 66-61 with 47 seconds left – only because the notoriously poor free-throw shooting Huskies continually misfired at the line. Then Jon Brockman scored and Ryan Appleby added two free throws to seal the win for Washington (13-11, 4-7).
‘t have it today.”
Washington won its fourth consecutive home game against the Bruins dating to 2004. The Huskies are now 11-68 against teams ranked in the top 5, stretching back to 1950. Their previous win at home over such a foe was last March, against then-No. 2 UCLA.
“We didn’t have the same fight we had the last few games,” said Darren Collison, who had a season-low three points on 1-for-8 shooting. “I take full blame. I’m the leader. I’m the captain. I have to step up.”
Kevin Love, the Bruins’ leading scorer at 17.7 points per game coming in, missed five of his first seven shots and finished with 13 points on just 3-of-8 shooting.
“I was frustrated,” Love said. “I was looking for the ball. … I felt I was open and my teammates didn’t find me.”
No. 13 Xavier 76, Saint Joseph’s 72
At Cincinnati, Stanley Burrell scored 16 points and made a pair of clinching free throws with 13 seconds left to help the Musketeers win a matchup of the Atlantic 10’s top two teams.
Xavier (20-4, 8-1) solidified its hold on first place with its 12th victory in the last 13 games. This one wasn’t easy – the Musketeers blew a 14-point lead and had to rally late.
Rob Ferguson scored 18 for the Hawks (15-7, 6-3). Pat Calathes added 16.
No. 14 Indiana 59, Ohio St. 53
At Columbus, Ohio, D.J. White had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Eric Gordon scored 15 points and hit four free throws in the final minute to hold off the Buckeyes.
Jordan Crawford contributed seven assists without a turnover and also had six rebounds for the Hoosiers (20-3, 9-1 Big Ten), who won their third in a row.
Kosta Koufos had 18 points for the Buckeyes (16-8, 7-4), and Jon Diebler added 14.
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