By Hank Kurz Jr.
Associated Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ó North Carolina’s struggles appear to be over.
A return to basics with a big dose of Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson made it look easy again.
Hansbrough scored 28 points, Lawson had 19 with nine assists and the No. 5 Tar Heels beat Virginia 83-61 on Thursday night to snap a surprising two-game losing streak in the ACC.
“It feels real good,” Hansbrough said. “It was kind of frustrating. We’ve all been trying to get everything straight within the team, and I think it was just us wanting to play like we know how to play and doing some things defensively.”
North Carolina (15-2, 1-2) lost at home to Boston College and on the road at No. 2 Wake Forest but avoided its first 0-3 start in conference play since the 1996-97 season.
Hansbrough drew double coverage all game and made just six field goals, but he went to the line 17 times and made 15. He also had 12 rebounds.
Lawson was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
“He’s become one of those players you can’t leave open,” Hansbrough said.
With Lawson also running the show with precision, the Tar Heels had 21 assists on 27 field goals, accomplishing another goal that emerged after the losses to BC and Wake Forest.
“We had a discussion,” said Danny Green, who scored 13 points. “One of the main reasons we were turning the ball over was either carelessness or selfishness.”
North Carolina finished with nine turnovers, none by Lawson in 30 minutes.
“I’m not sure I’ve seen a better dictated, orchestrated game from a point guard than I did tonight from Ty Lawson,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. “He was better than advertised.”
Jamil Tucker led Virginia (7-7, 1-2) with 12 points. Calvin Baker and Mike Scott finished with 11 each, but the Cavaliers got a subpar effort from scoring leader Sylven Landesberg. He missed eight of his nine shots and had two points, 16.5 below his average.
Chalk it up to a learning experience, Leitao said, noting that at times early on Landesberg seemed to be driving into the lane looking for contact rather than a basket.
“There were two or three blue shirts around him when he tried to make a play,” Leitao said. “He’s going to face that more.”
With Sammy Zeglinski shooting 1-for-8, the Cavaliers’ starting guards were a combined 2-for-17. The team finished 4-for-27 on 3-pointers, including 1-for-12 in the second half.
Leading 50-36 at halftime, the Tar Heels wasted no time taking command.
Lawson had seven points and Hansbrough five in a 19-7 burst to open the half, giving North Carolina its biggest lead at 69-43. Green finished the run with a thunderous dunk.From then on, the fans at John Paul Jones Arena focused mostly on jeering Hansbrough when he got the ball ó or got a call from the officials ó and letting UNC freshman Ed Davis know they haven’t forgotten his snub. The son of former NBA player Terry Davis was a prep star in Richmond and had Virginia as one of his final two college choices.
Davis finished with six points and seven rebounds.
Virginia started pregame introductions by playing a recorded video message from popular alum Sean Singletary, an NBA rookie who then drew roars when he came down to the floor through the student section, high-fiving all the way.
The excitement was short-lived. The Tar Heels opened with a 14-2 run and had an 11-2 burst after the Cavaliers closed to within 15-14.