Nov. 14, 2007

No. 1 Carolina Holds Off Davidson, 72-68

Top-ranked North Carolina avoided an early season upset.

Just barely.

Wayne Ellington scored 20 points and made key plays late to help the Tar Heels avoid a major scare and a subpar second half from Tyler Hansbrough to beat Davidson 72-68 on Wednesday night.

Trailing for much of the second half, North Carolina (1-0) closed the game strong. Ellington's free throw with 3:44 left put the Tar Heels ahead to stay. His jumper with just over a minute left made it a three-point game. Ty Lawson then hit three of four free throws in the final 30 seconds to preserve the win.

Hansbrough had 14 points and 14 rebounds, but he was ineffective in the second half and got into foul trouble.

Cavaliers Improve to 2-0 with 92-53 Win Over Howard

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Sean Singletary scored 23 points and had eight assists Wednesday night, leading Virginia to a 92-53 victory against Howard.

Twelve others also scored for the Cavaliers (2-0) in their final tuneup before heading west to play No. 17 Arizona on Saturday night. Virginia beat Vermont on Sunday.

The Bison (0-2) got 16 points from Jeron Smith and 13 from Eugene Myatt. Howard was outrebounded 48-23, committed 19 turnovers and shot just 41 percent from the field.