Dec. 20, 2007

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Colonels started off the game on a 12-6 run, but the No. 1 Tar Heels stayed the course as they pulled away to win 88-78 in the Dean E. Smith Center in front of 17,706 in attendance.

The Colonels (4-8) had four players in double-figures with junior Ryan Bathie leading all Nicholls scorers with 17 points. Following Bathie was junior Gil Verner with 16 off the bench, which included a 4-of-5 shooting mark from behind the arc. Freshman Dominic Friend and sophomore Michael Czepil rounded out all of Nicholls double-digit scorers with 13 each. Senior Adonis Gray led the Colonels in rebounds with seven.

"I was very proud of the way the team competed tonight. We have to build on this as a team and keep on getting better," said head coach J.P. Piper. "We out scored them in the second half, and we moved the ball around well. I thought that the team did not let all the distractions of playing the No. 1 team in the country get in the way of playing our style of game."

The Tar Heels (10-0) also had four players crossing the decade mark with Tyler Hansbrough tying his season high of 27 points to go along with his 11 rebounds. Wayne Ellington chimed in with 20, while Marcus Ginyard and Ty Lawson each had 12.

For the game, Nicholls buried 14-of-28 three point shots while North Carolina only mustered 3-of-12 from downtown. The Colonels also had better ball movement as they rung up 20 assists to the Tar Heels 16, while North Carolina only out rebounded Nicholls, 37-to-30. The two biggest differences in the game were points off turnovers, which North Carolina had 26 to Nicholls' 13, and the Tar Heels also made 29-of-39 free throw attempts as the Colonels only converted 12-of-14 from the charity strip.

Despite going into the locker room at the midway point down 48-37 to the Tar Heels, the Colonels led in rebounds, 18-to-16, and were out shooting North Carolina from behind the arc 42.9 percent (6-of-14) to 33.3 percent (2-of-6). However, Nicholls had nine turnovers that led to 17 Tar Heel points, while North Carolina only had four miscues that led to four Colonel points.

At the halfway point, Friend led all Nicholls scorers with 11 points as all the Australians combined to score 30 of the Colonels 37 first half points. In fact, the first 19 Nicholls points of the contest were scored by Australians. Leading the Tar Heels in scoring at the intermission was Hansbrough with 13.

In the second half, Nicholls out scored North Carolina 41-40 as the Tar Heels struggled to put away the Colonels. North Carolina started out the second stanza on a 7-0 run which Nicholls never overcame. However, the Colonels fought their way back into the game to only lose by 10.

The Colonels will be back in action on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas, Nev. As they take part in the Duel in the Desert Tournament. Their first opponent in the tournament is Minnesota at 7 p.m. CT.

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