Dec. 31, 2009

Tar Heels Ease Past Great Danes
Ed Davis had 18 points to help No. 9 North Carolina beat Albany 87-70 on Wednesday night.

Deon Thompson added 15 points for the Tar Heels (11-3), who had an easy time in their next-to-last game before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play. Despite being short-handed, North Carolina built a double-digit lead midway through the first half and coasted the rest of the way for its third straight win since losing to No. 2 Texas.

The Tar Heels played without fifth-year senior Marcus Ginyard and sophomore Justin Watts. Watts injured his right ankle during Monday's win against Rutgers, while Ginyard has missed two straight since spraining his right ankle in practice. 

Cavaliers Upset No. 24 UAB 72-63
Sylven Landesberg scored 19 points and had two free throws and two key assists in the final 2:36 on Wednesday night as Virginia ended No. 24 UAB's 10-game winning streak with a 72-63 victory.

The Cavaliers (7-4) beat a ranked opponent for the first time since they topped Clemson last February, giving first-year coach Tony Bennett his biggest victory at Virginia.

The Blazers (11-2), who moved into the Top 25 this week for the first time since the end of the 2006-07 season, got a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds from Elijah Millsap. UAB missed 10 of 15 free throws and was outscored 22-13 over the final 10 minutes.

BC Bounces South Carolina, 85-76
Rakim Sanders scored 22 points, Reggie Jackson 16 and Boston College held on for a 85-76 win over South Carolina after nearly blowing a 21-point halftime lead on Wednesday night.

It was the third straight win for the Eagles (9-4) after embarrassing home losses to Harvard and Rhode Island--both teams from weaker conferences.

Biko Paris added 14 points, with four coming on free throws in the closing minute, for Boston College. 

Miami Defeats Bethune-Cookman to Improve to 13-1
James Dews scored 12 points to lead the Miami men's basketball team over Bethune-Cookman, 73-55, on Wednesday night at the BankUnited Center.

Dews, Garrius Adams and Malcolm Grant each hit 3-pointers during a 13-2 spurt, which helped Miami build a 33-21 lead late in the first half. Grant's conversion behind the arc with 3:30 remaining capped the run.

Adams, Dews and Grant also hit 3-pointers in the first 7:59 of the second half, helping the Hurricanes (13-1) increase their lead to 49-31. 

Green steps up to lift Tech to 85-50 win over Longwood
Freshman Erick Green tallied personal bests of 15 points and four assists to help the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team to an 85-50 win over Longwood on Wednesday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum.

Green played a career-high 30 minutes in relief of the ACC’s leading scorer, Malcolm Delaney, who sprained his left ankle just one minute and 22 seconds into the game and did not return.

Junior Jeff Allen (13 points), junior Dorenzo Hudson (11) and freshman Ben Boggs (10) joined Green in double figures for Tech, which moved to 11-1 on the season and extended its winning streak to eight games. Both marks are the Hokies’ best since they won nine consecutive contests to begin the 1995-96 season with a 12-1 record.

Maryland Drops Contest To William & Mary, 83-77
William & Mary claimed another Atlantic Coast Conference victim Tuesday night, defeating Maryland 83-77 to extend its winning streak to nine games and hand the Terrapins their first home loss of the season.

Sophomore Quinn McDowell scored a career-high 28 points and Danny Sumner added 17 for the Tribe (9-2), who beat Wake Forest in November. It's the first time in school history that William & Mary has defeated two ACC foes on the road in the same season.

Off to its best start since 1977, the Tribe has also beaten Richmond and Colonial Athletic Association rival Virginia Commonwealth. The nine-game winning streak is second-longest in school history behind a 10-game run in 1930.