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Tampa Blasts McMaster 91-61

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A Tribune staff, wire report

Published: December 27, 2007

TAMPA - The University of Tampa men's basketball team (6-2) returned from its Christmas break with a 91-61 victory against McMaster University (4-5) of Hamilton, Ontario.

UT scored the game's first four points and never gave back the lead, stretching the advantage to as many as 33 points in the first half. It took the Spartans just less than eight minutes to take a double-figure lead.

In the second half, Tampa pulled its starters at the 17:16 mark.

Jeremy Black led UT in scoring with 17 points, while Chris Evans contributed 16 as the lone double-figure scorers. Evans also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds with four steals.

Tampa enjoyed its top game of the year from its bench, which contributed 39 points. Freshman Glyn Hunter scored five points, while fellow freshman Rudy Jean added six points in his UT debut. A.J. Davis scored four points, and DeVaughn Gow chipped in two for the UT reserves.

The Spartans connected on a season-high 13 3-pointers while shooting 54.2 percent from 3-point range. UT also shot 54.1 from the field while coming within one point of its season high in points.

UT will be back in action Saturday as it will host Augusta State (Ga.) at 4 p.m.

NORTH CAROLINA 106, NEVADA 70: Tyler Hansbrough scored 26 points and Wayne Ellington added a career-high 23 to help No. 1 North Carolina beat visiting Nevada.

Ty Lawson had 16 points and a career-best 10 assists for the Tar Heels (12-0), who ran off 19 straight points spanning halftime to earn the latest in a series of lopsided victories.

North Carolina is off to its best start since winning 17 straight to open the 1997-98 season. And since a tough 72-68 win against Davidson to open the season, the Tar Heels' closest game was an 86-77 win at Kentucky on Dec. 1. They have also scored at least 100 points in five games.

Armon Johnson scored 23 points to lead the Wolf Pack (7-5), who had won five straight games and hung close with the Tar Heels until late in the first half.

But that was before Lawson, a speedy sophomore, kicked North Carolina's offense into high gear.

The news wasn't all good for the Tar Heels. Reserve guard Bobby Frasor tore his left anterior cruciate ligament when he landed awkwardly on the sideline while making a steal midway through the second half.

School spokesman Steve Kirschner said Frasor will be out for the season and will have surgery.

North Carolina shot 54 percent for the game, including 9-for-18 from behind the arc, and held a 45-33 rebounding advantage.

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