SAN ANTONIO - North Carolina's relentlessness on the offensive glass had hurt Providence all night. In the end it finally killed the Friars and star Bryce Cotton.
James Michael McAdoo rebounded Brice Johnson's missed jumper and was fouled with 3.5 seconds to play. He made the first, snapping a tie game, and then got the rebound when he missed the second and drew another foul with 1.7 seconds left and made one more. Those rebounds and those free throws sent the No. 6 Tar Heels to a 79-77 East Region Round of 64 win at AT&T Center.
Cotton, who turned in a Herculean 38-point, eight-assist performance, didn't even get a chance to take a final heave at the basket as the rebound from McAdoo's second miss went out of bounds off Providence.
Marcus Paige had 19 points and Johnson and McAdoo had 16 points each for the Heels, who had 21 offensive rebounds for 26 points. LaDontae Henton had 16 points and Tyler Harris 13 for the Friars (23-12).
UNC (24-9) faces the winner of the late game between Iowa State and North Carolina Central in a Round of 32 game Sunday.
Cotton led Providence through an 11-0 run in the middle of the second half with a pair of whirling drives to the basket and assist on a Henton dunk and a Tyler Harris three-pointer. When Cotton sliced through the Tar Heels and put in a high-banking layup with 8:20 to play, PC was up 60-58 - its first lead since 18-17.
A pair of Johnson free throws interrupted the run, but didn't stop the Friars' momentum. They built the lead to 71-64 on a Kadeem Batts three-point play with 4:34. A Carolina counterpunch finally came and UNC tied the game, first at 71 all on a Paige three-pointer, at 74 all on a three-point play by Johnson, and at 77 all on a Paige trey with 1:06 to play.
North Carolina's size and athleticism were on full display in the first half as it scored on run-outs, dunks and putbacks. Providence managed to stay with the Tar Heels by shooting 52% and getting to the free throw line regularly. The Heels held a narrow 39-36 lead at the break.
Cotton had seemed tireless as he averaged 39.9 minutes this season, but actually looked tired at moments in the face of UNC's high-octane attack. But Friars coach Ed Cooley used the NCAA's extra-long timeouts in key spots to try to keep his legs under him.
Posted by Unknown on Friday, March 21, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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