Defending NCAA Champion & Ninth-Ranked North Carolina Holds Off UAlbany, 87-70, at Smith Center

Chapel Hill, N.C. - Ed Davis had 18 points and Deon Thompson scored 15 in leading North Carolina to an 87-70 victory over UAlbany on Wednesday, Dec. 30 before 19,225 fans at the Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels are ranked ninth in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today national polls.

The Tar Heels, who won their fifth NCAA championship last year, led 5-4 early, but then went on a 12-2 run. Freshman John Henson, who had eight points off the bench, hit a basket before Thompson made two free throws to end that outburst. UAlbany (4-10) was still hanging around at 29-19 when Logan Aronhalt canned a 3-pointer and Scotty McRae made a baseline jumper. But UNC followed with 10 unanswered, including three consecutive three-pointers. Will Graves, a junior swingman who scored nine points, buried back-to-back long-range shots.

Still leading 55-36 in the second half, North Carolina (11-3) began to pull away with six straight. Davis, a 6-foot-10 sophomore who is a Naismith Award candidate, made a pair of baskets and Dexter Strickland sank two foul shots. The Tar Heels, who shot 60 percent from the field in the final period, extended their margin to 75-45 when freshman David Wear scored in transition midway through the half.

The Great Danes, who trailed by as much as 38 points with less than eight minutes remaining, then showed some grit with 15 consecutive markers. Billy Allen, who had a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, tallied the final eight in that spurt, including a pair of three-pointers. Will Harris, who netted 19 of his 22 points after the intermission, later drilled a 3-pointer to slice the deficit to 87-67 with 2:22 to play.

"I thought we made great progress and embraced the little things," explained UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose squad was playing the reigning defending national champion for the second straight year. "I am proud of our guys because they competed and are closer to being a team. North Carolina is so long with four guys 6-foot-9 or bigger. Their pressure bothered us, especially with having two young kids run the point. That run where they hit three consecutive three's hurt."

Larry Drew II and Leslie McDonald each scored nine for the Tar Heels, who have one of the top 10 offenses in the nation at more than 85 points per game. UAlbany's Mike Black, a freshman guard, had a career game with 10 points and five assists as a starter. The Great Danes were wrapping up a stretch of eight consecutive road games on the schedule.

"We played hard and got better today," offered Harris, who reached the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season. "We have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful and the younger players will remember this in their minds. Mike Black handled himself well and was under control. This will be a confidence booster."

Paw Prints: The Great Danes faced their fourth-highest ranked opponent as a Division I program ... North Carolina is ranked No. 9 in both national polls ... UAlbany appeared before the fourth-largest crowd in its Division I history (19,225) ... Billy Allen's career-best 16 points were eight better than his previous mark set against Sacred Heart on Dec. 20, 2008 ... Will Harris scored 20-plus points for the fifth time this season ... freshman center Blake Metcalf pulled down a career-best eight rebounds ... UAlbany will play its first home game since Nov. 22 on Sunday against Yale at 4:00 p.m. ... the game will be televised on Time Warner Cable (TW3).