Tar Heels embarrass Wildcats in home loss

TUCSON, Ariz. - Freshman Ty Lawson scored a career-high 18 points and No. 4 North Carolina routed 17th-ranked Arizona, 92-64, yesterday, handing Lute Olson his worst home loss in 24 seasons as coach of the Wildcats.

Five other Tar Heels scored in double figures as North Carolina (19-2) won its fourth straight.

The Tar Heels played without No. 2 scorer and rebounder Brandan Wright and reserve swingman Marcus Ginyard, who had stomach illnesses.

North Carolina, which whipped the Wildcats, 86-69, in Chapel Hill last season, ended Arizona's 29-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents, the fourth-longest in the nation.

Chase Budinger scored 16 points, all in the second half, for Arizona (14-6), which lost for the fifth time in seven games.

It was the season's lowest scoring total for Arizona, which averages 83.4 points per game, best in the Pac-10.

But the Tar Heels held the Wildcats to one basket in the final 9:10 of the first half and without a field goal for nearly seven minutes in the second half.

Arizona went 1 for 23 beyond the three-point arc.

Previously, Olson's worst home defeat was a 12-point loss to Tennessee on Dec. 23, 1983, his second month on the job.

Arizona lost leading scorer Marcus Williams midway through the first half when he landed on a defender's foot and rolled into the Carolina bench, where coach Roy Williams crouched over him, signaling for a trainer. Williams returned for about five minutes in the second half.

In a one-game break from Pac-10 play, the Wildcats looked out of their league, turning the ball over four times on their first five possessions as the Tar Heels raced to a 15-6 lead.

North Carolina92

Arizona64