March 8, 2007

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by Ethan Lin

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina got off to a quick start and even led briefly early in the first half of Tuesday's game. However, Hargrave blew by with a series of runs late in the half, and were up 54-39 at halftime. The Tar Heels were unable to recover from the blow and struggled to catch up for the remainder of the game, losing 104-80.

"It was the hardest we've played on both ends all season," said Hargrave coach Keavin Keatts. "Our size hurt them, and we also shot well and defended the 3-point line."

Hargrave had five players scoring in double figures, including Jeff Allen with 22 points and Mike Scott with 21. Hargrave shot 47.1% from the field and 75% from the free throw line, whereas Carolina shot 46.2% from the field and 53.8% from the line.

The key statistic was shot count - Hargrave made 20 more attempts than Carolina.

"One word - rebounding," said point guard Robert Johnson, who hit a 3-pointer in the game. "We can't beat good teams that are that strong if we don't rebound better."

Hargrave's size certainly factored in the win. Nine players in Hargrave's roster have already signed to play basketball at Division I schools.

"They are a very good team," said JB Tanner. "But we also didn't play with a lot of passion. I feel like we should have kept up with them better."

Tanner, who scored 20 points and hit 6 of 11 shots from the 3-point line, was joined by Patrick Moody and Terrance Petree in double-figure scoring. Moody contributed 14 points and Petree had 11.

Hargrave led by as many as 32 points well into the second half before beating Carolina, 104-80.