Jan. 31, 1998
North Carolina Beats Wake Forest 79-73
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Robert O'Kelley led the Demon Deacons with 25 points.
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Shammond Williams knows one place he'll never
return to - ever - and that's Joel Coliseum.
Former coach Dean Smith set the career victory mark in Joel last season and
No. 2 North Carolina has had great success in the NCAA Tournament here. But the
Tar Heels have been blown out four of the last five times against Wake Forest
on its home court entering Saturday's game.
And it looked like it was going to be another long day for the Tar Heels,
who trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half before rallying in the
second half with a 30-6 run to beat the Demon Deacons 79-73.
"I don't even think I'm going to come back - even as a fan," Williams
said. "Their fans are very supportive and they just go at you. It's a tough
place to shoot, too. I don't know what it is - maybe it's the seats or
something.
"It doesn't matter if we come in here No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 they always just
smack us. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We just had to maintain."
Now, a win by No. 1 Duke at home against Georgia Tech on Sunday will set up
the nation's top two teams in a 1-2 showdown in Chapel Hill on Thursday night.
Antawn Jamison scored 21 points and Williams had 20 for the Tar Heels (22-1,
8-1), who were on the ropes as the Demon Deacons (11-8, 3-5) matched the
Atlantic Coast Conference record with 18 3-pointers - 12 in the first half.
"We were conscious of their 3s coming in, but probably not conscious
enough," North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge said. "I don't think we were
ready to play defense the way you have to play defense in this league to win.
We were a step slow getting out on those shots."
North Carolina trailed 56-40 with 16:05 left before Wake Forest's outside
shooting dried up and the Tar Heels found their inside and running games - and
defense.
North Carolina had four chances to tie or take the lead before Makhtar
Ndiaye scored his first points on a follow shot and Jamison added a fastbreak
slam for a 64-62 lead with 5:02 left as Wake Forest was in the midst of an
0-for-10 shooting slump.
The lead reached eight with 1:47 remaining as Williams scored in the lane
and on a dunk, and Vince Carter scored in the lane. Williams had 12 points
during the Tar Heels' decisive run and Jamison nine, while nailing down the win
with seven of eight free throws over the final 1:20.
North Carolina also had a series of key blocks by four different players
during the comeback.
Robert O'Kelley led the Demon Deacons with 25 points - 20 in the first half
- while Steven Goolsby added a career-high 19 as Wake Forest also set an ACC
record with 43 3-point attempts.
"I can't take anything away from that guy," Williams said of O'Kelley, who
made seven 3-pointers. "He's a freshman and he's doing things to help his
basketball team like that. I can only see an up side for a guy like that."
The Demon Deacons were 15-for-62 from 3-point range over their last three
games, but went 12-of-21 in the first half against the Tar Heels. They made
seven of their first 11 to open up a 17-point lead - the largest deficit for
North Carolina this season.
"They didn't have to cool off," Williams responded when asked if it was
inevitable the Demon Deacons would begin to miss from 3-point range in the
second half. "All the times I've ever been in here they've never cooled off.
As a matter of fact, it seems like every time we come in here to play a new
game it just continues."
O'Kelley made three of his six first-half 3-pointers during a span of 1:39
early in the game and then closed the half with two more shots behind the arc
for a 48-36 Wake Forest lead.
Goolsby also had three 3-pointers as 12 of Wake Forest's 18 first-half
baskets came from long range.
"We felt like if we had any edge it might be in our perimeter quickness
with the ball," Wake Forest coach Dave Odom said. "I don't know if that was
true or not. If they didn't go out there and guard us we could get shots. Now,
the question became: Can you make shots? We did make them early."
The Tar Heels stayed in the game despite shooting 38.7 percent for the half
by making 11 of 12 free throws.
At one point during the first half North Carolina - the nation's best
shooting team at 54 percent - went seven minutes without a basket to dig its
huge hole.
The Tar Heels trailed by 11 points against Purdue and Georgia earlier in the
season and came back to win both games.
