North Carolina Beats LIU 102-87 In Return To NCAAs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Tyler Zeller scored 32 points, John Henson added 28, and North Carolina used its hulking size to overcame sloppiness in its return to the NCAA tournament in a 102-87 victory over scrappy Long Island University on Friday night.
Harrison Barnes added 24 points and 16 rebounds for the second-seeded Tar Heels (27-7) who eventually wore down the 15th-seeded Blackbirds (27-6). The 2009 NCAA champions, relegated to the NIT last season, advanced to the third round of the East Regional.
Julian Boyd scored 18 points, C.J. Garner added 16 and Jamal Olasewere had 15 for LIU, which faded after rallying to tie with under 5 minutes left in the first half as its nation-best 13-game winning streak was snapped.
The 7-footer Zeller and 6-10 Henson kept catching high passes for easy layups over smaller LIU to each record career highs in points.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
