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Hansbrough, North Carolina sink Georgia Tech

Jan 21, 2007 - 6:06 AM CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Tyler Hansbrough didn't match his performance of a year ago, but it was enough to extend Georgia Tech's woes against North Carolina.

Hansbrough scored 24 points to lead the fourth-ranked Tar Heels to a 77-61 romp over the Yellow Jackets in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Rebounding from a sluggish first half, the 6-9 Hansbrough scored 20 points after the intermission as North Carolina (17-2, 4-1 ACC) beat Georgia Tech for the 10th consecutive time on its home court, dating to February 1996.

Repeatedly drawing fouls from the Yellow Jackets' young forward line, Hansbrough finished 14-of-15 at the free-throw line.

"I think they are a real physical team," Hansbrough said. "I've been with some physical teams and I'm used to that, but I wouldn't say that they are pulling an opportunity in the same way."

"I thought Tyler getting to the free-throw line, and I felt awfully comfortable when he steps up there, and he shot a great percentage for us," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "I felt good about that."

While falling far short of his stunning 40-point performance as a freshman against the Yellow Jackets (13-5, 2-3) last season, Hansbrough scored 10 points in the first eight minutes of the second half to help the Tar Heels extend the lead to 52-36.

Georgia Tech never got the lead under double digits thereafter.

"North Carolina just outplayed us tonight," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "They were much more physical than we were, and from the opening tip they just took it to us the whole night."

It was the 1,900th win in North Carolina's history, second all-time to Kentucky (1,941), although Williams said the level of play was anything but special.

"There will be some thoughts about how sloppy and ugly it is," Williams said. "I do think even teams that I've had that were really, really good - and I think this team has a chance to be really, really good - has had some games like this too."

Reyshawn Terry scored 16 points, including a thunderous dunk that started a 10-0 run and gave North Carolina a 68-44 cushion with 6:06 left.

"I definitely felt like we got at them early," Terry said. "I just felt like I had to go out there and play like we normally play within the system. Fortunately, things were falling my way."

Freshman Thaddeus Young provided the bulk of Georgia Tech's offense in the second half, scoring 18 of his 22 points. Anthony Morrow added 10 for the Yellow Jackets, who committed 21 turnovers.

"Thaddeus Young, you saw tonight why I recruited him so hard," Williams said.

North Carolina made just six 3-pointers in the contest, but two of them came back-to-back from Wes Miller and Ty Lawson to open a 10-point lead, 30-20, with 5;15 left in the first half.