Forte Leads Tar Heels Past Virginia, 88-81
Jan. 24, 2001
Box Score | Carolina NewsStand
By JOHN MARSHALL CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - After almost losing a big halftime lead for the second consecutive game, North Carolina turned to Joseph Forte. He responded - again. Forte scored 33 points - nine during a key stretch in the second half - and the fifth-ranked Tar Heels extended their winning streak to 13 games with an 88-81 victory over No. 13 Virginia on Wednesday night. North Carolina (16-2, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 50-35 at halftime, but Virginia (13-4, 2-4) went on a 16-4 run to start the second half. Donald Hand and Chris Williams keyed the run with consecutive 3-pointers as the Cavaliers pulled within 54-51 just five minutes in. Forte answered with a layup, a three-point play and two pull-up jumpers as North Carolina built the lead back to 65-57 with 11 minutes left. He also hit a 3-pointer with 5:15 left after Virginia pulled within 75-71. "He's an All-American and you put the ball in his hands," North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said. "He made some big, big plays. He seems to focus better when the game's on the line." Forte was also the difference in Saturday's 80-70 victory over Florida State, scoring 12 straight points after the Tar Heels blew most of a 19-point halftime lead. Forte was 13-for-23 from the field against the Cavaliers and had five rebounds and four assists. "Forte is an unbelievable player," said Virginia coach Pete Gillen, whose team has lost three of four in the ACC after opening the season 10-0. "He's one of the best 2-guards I've seen in a long time. He certainly was marvelous tonight." The Tar Heels led by two with 13 minutes left in the first half, but went on
an 18-7 run to build a 39-23 lead. Forte ended the run with a pull-up jumper
and fed Kris Lang for a dunk with 5:39 left.
Virginia pulled within 39-32 on three straight 3-pointers, but North Carolina finished the half on an 11-3 run. Max Owens capped it with three straight free throws with nine seconds left. Virginia made just 12 of 37 shots in the first half. "You have to play well for 40 minutes and we got beat because we didn't play well in the first 20 minutes," Gillen said. "You can't get down 15 points to a tremendous team and expect to come back." Roger Mason led Virginia with 17 points, while Travis Watson had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Williams added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jason Capel had 14 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina. Brendan Haywood had four blocks - three in the first half - giving him 27 in the last five games. Virginia shot 42 percent overall, marking the 13th consecutive game North Carolina held an opponent under 50 percent. North Carolina made 20 of 34 shots in the first half in building a 15-point lead. The Tar Heels shot 56 percent overall. North Carolina has not lost since consecutive defeats to Michigan State and Kentucky on Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. "I'd like to think we are this good and I'd like to think we can be better," Doherty said. "I don't feel necessarily that we're overachieving. I think we're about where we should be and hopefully we can get better." |
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