CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Two days removed from beating No. 2
Duke, North Carolina coach Matt Doherty was concerned about a
letdown Saturday against Georgia Tech.
|  | | North Carolina's Brendan Haywood slams home two of his seven points Saturday. |
It wasn't even close.
Joseph Forte scored 23 points and No. 4 North Carolina eased
Doherty's concerns with 23 straight points in the first half as the
Tar Heels beat Georgia Tech 82-69.
"It wasn't an easy day to play on the heels of our game
Thursday," Doherty said. "I was worried about our emotional state
and our concentration. I knew we'd want to have a good effort, but
there's sometimes a difference between wanting to have a good
effort and actually playing with a good effort."
With the victory, North Carolina staked a claim to the No. 1
ranking as the only team in the top four not to lose this week.
Third-ranked Kansas lost to Missouri on Monday, the Tar Heels
beat Duke 85-83 on Thursday and UCLA knocked off top-ranked
Stanford 79-73 earlier Saturday.
Stanford's loss went on the scoreboard with about 16 minutes
left in the game, sending fans in the Smith Center into a chant of
"We're No. 1! We're No. 1!"
"We heard it over the (loudspeaker), but coach Doherty was
yelling at us to not look at the scoreboard," said Brendan
Haywood, who blocked five shots and harassed Georgia Tech center
Alvin Jones most of the game. "We knew what was at stake."
North Carolina (19-2) won its 16th consecutive game and is 9-0
in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time since 1986-87.
It is the Tar Heels' best conference streak since winning all 14
games in 1986-87 and their first two of the 1987-88 season.
North Carolina got off to a slow start, but quickly turned the
game into a rout.
Georgia Tech opened on an 11-3 run as North Carolina missed five
of its first six shots, but the Tar Heels followed with a 27-2 run,
including 23 straight points.
Forte hit a runner at 13:52 to start the streak, and Adam Boone
ended it with a pair of free throws with 7:14 left. Forte scored
seven of his 16 first-half points during the run.
Georgia Tech (12-8, 4-5) went seven minutes without scoring a
basket until Tony Akins hit a 3-pointer with 6:44 left in the first
half. The Yellow Jackets made just 13 of 36 shots in the half,
including 3-for-12 from 3-point range.
"That run was obviously a back-breaker," Georgia Tech coach
Paul Hewitt said. "I was just hoping we would get a basket."
North Carolina held Georgia Tech to 35 percent shooting, marking
the third straight game and ninth in 10 the Tar Heels held an
opponent to 40 percent or less. The Yellow Jackets were 5-of-23
from 3-point range overall.
Jones, who averaged 20.5 points in his previous five games,
finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds, but was 5-for-15 and had
four turnovers.
Kris Lang had 15 points for North Carolina, and Jason Capel had
11 points and 11 rebounds. Julius Peppers had 14 points.
Akins had 18 points and five assists for the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech used full-court pressure to go on an 11-2 run and
pulled within 70-62 with 4:34 left, but got no closer.
"North Carolina came out and played a very good game to get the
win," Hewitt said. "They were ready."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Georgia Tech Clubhouse
North Carolina Clubhouse
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