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Close, But Another Noles Loss

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By SCOTT CARTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2008

Updated: 02/03/2008 11:12 pm

TALLAHASSEE - He grabbed the rebound off teammate Isaiah Swann's missed 3-pointer, looked around for someone to pass the ball to, and then realized time was running out. At that point, Florida State's Ryan Reid, a bruiser known mostly for his rebounding and defense, drifted to the corner and launched the first 3-point shot of his college career.

"One of their coaches told our coaches he hadn't even made one in practice," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

Reid's unlikely basket with 8.1 seconds left forced overtime against the No. 4-ranked Tar Heels, giving the Noles a blast of confidence entering the extra session. But in the end, Reid's game-tying shot only delayed the sting of another FSU loss as North Carolina (21-1, 6-1 ACC) outscored the Noles 17-6 in overtime for an 84-73 victory.

In the aftermath of FSU's seventh loss in eight games, simply having a chance to win against the team ranked No. 1 in the nation most of the season was of no comfort to the Noles (13-10, 2-6).

"We gave Ryan his props for hitting the shot, and then we focused on what we had to do," said senior guard Jason Rich, who led the Noles with 22 points. "Once again, we had opportunities. In a perfect world, the balls would bounce our way, every call would go our way, every shot would go in, but it's not going to work that way."

Playing in front of a spirited crowd of 11,066 at the Donald L. Tucker Center, the Noles hung tough with the Tar Heels until overtime, when forward Tyler Hansbrough took over like he often does. Hansbrough scored eight of his 22 points in overtime - outscoring the Noles by himself - and grabbed five of his career-high 21 rebounds to lift North Carolina to its seventh straight win against the Noles.

"For the most part, we kept Hansbrough in check about as much as you can," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "He makes adjustments during the course of the game, and he finds a way to contribute. He went and got big rebounds. He is just a tremendous player."

Hansbrough went to work immediately in overtime, grabbing the rebound off his own missed shot and hitting two free throws when he was fouled by Uche Echefu, putting the Tar Heels in front for good on their first possession. After Rich's jumper cut the lead to 70-69 with 3:34 left in overtime, North Carolina closed on a 14-4 run.

"To have a great year, you have to win some games ugly, and win some games on toughness," Williams said. "I think Florida State pushed us as far as we can be pushed."

The Noles did little to help in OT, hitting just one of seven shots finishing 28-for-70 for the game, including six of 31 from 3-point range. North Carolina, playing more of a half-court game after starting point guard Ty Lawson was lost due to an injured ankle four minutes into the game, outrebounded FSU 54-26.

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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