Clemson Falls To No. 4 North Carolina

Feb. 19, 2005

By KEITH PARSONSAP Sports Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Jawad Williams scored 17 points, sixth-man Marvin Williams added 14 and No. 4 North Carolina routed Clemson 88-56 on Saturday.

Sean May finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Tar Heels (22-3, 10-2), who moved into a first-place tie with Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Sharrod Ford led Clemson (12-13, 2-10) with 13 points, but this one really never was in doubt, even though Tigers coach Oliver Purnell tried his best early on to motivate his players.

Barely 90 seconds into the game, he was up protesting a foul called on Sam Perry, and Purnell continued yelling at referee Gary Maxwell while the Tar Heels prepared to inbound the ball. Finally, referee Mike Wood heard enough and gave Purnell a technical, and two free throws by Jawad Williams made it 4-1. It quickly got worse from there.

North Carolina jumped to a 14-1 lead as the Tigers missed their first eight shots. They eventually got to 20-12 on a layup by Vernon Hamilton, but that was the last time the margin was less than 10.

Marvin Williams started a 14-0 run by scoring off a nice assist from Raymond Felton, and all but one of the Tar Heels’ baskets during the spurt came off an assist. Felton fed Jawad Williams for a dunk that turned into a three-point play, and Williams added another on the next possession after Rashad McCants had a steal.

David Noel led Scott for another layup, and May finished off the 2{-minute domination with a three-point play, banking in a jumper as he was fouled by Shawan Robinson to make it 34-12. A brief rally brought Clemson within 16, but Marvin Williams scored four consecutive points – off assists from Felton and McCants – and North Carolina cruised from there.

After a layup by Ford cut the lead to 45-27 early in the second half, the Tar Heels outscored the Tigers 19-3 over the next few minutes to make the final 10 minutes nothing more than garbage time. Marvin Williams played a prominent role during this stretch, throwing a touch pass to Jawad Williams for a dunk and later adding a steal and a layup.

North Carolina eventually went ahead 80-41 and turned the final minutes over to the bench. Walk-on Charlie Everett gave what was left of the home crowd a thrill with a layup, giving him 11 points this season. Jesse Holley, normally a wide receiver on the football team, also got in the act, emphatically blocking a jumper by Jimmy Hudson in the final minute.