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Lawson Lifts Tar Heels

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 22, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. - No one has ever doubted Ty Lawson's talent, speed or ability to take over a game for North Carolina. Maybe now Lawson won't hear questions about whether he's tough enough, too.
Lawson scored 21 of his 23 points after halftime in his return from a toe injury, and his three-point play sparked the decisive second-half run as North Carolina held off LSU 84-70 in the South Region.
Wayne Ellington scored 23 points to lead the Tar Heels (30-4), who ran off 11 straight points in a tie game to take control and move on to next week's region semifinals in Memphis, Tenn. North Carolina will face Gonzaga.
Lawson had missed the previous three games after he jammed his right toe in practice two days before the regular-season finale against Duke.

Fans greeted him with a loud roar that drowned out his name during starting lineups, but the speedy junior didn't look like he was at 100 percent early on. He seemed hesitant when pushing the ball up the floor, and at one point in the first half came out of the game, took off his shoe and was in obvious discomfort while a trainer looked at him.

But the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year got better as the game wore on, helping the Tar Heels rally from a five-point deficit midway through the second half to beat the eighth-seeded Tigers (27-8).
Lawson finished 7-for-13 from the floor to go with six assists and no turnovers in 31 minutes.

The Associated Press

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