ATLANTA (AP) -- Joseph Forte could feel the game slipping away
from North Carolina. So he did something about it, and quickly.
|  | | North Carolina's Joseph Forte scored 20 points Tuesday night and has 49 in his last two games. |
Forte scored eight points on two key possessions early in the
second half and the Tar Heels (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 AP) rallied from a 12-point
halftime deficit to beat Georgia Tech 84-70 Tuesday night.
"I knew the game could get out of hand," said Forte, who
finished with 20 points in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for
both teams. "We were down by 12 and it could have gone to 20. I
wanted to cut the lead down quickly and give our team some
confidence."
North Carolina (10-2) trailed 44-32 at the half after enduring a
stunning 24-3 run by the Yellow Jackets (8-4), who made four
3-pointers during the spurt and put on a textbook display of their
hectic, fullcourt style of play.
Spurred on by Forte, the Tar Heels wasted no time regaining
control after the break.
Kris Lang opened with a dunk before Forte swooped under the
basket and rolled in a shot with a graceful finger roll as he
eluded Tech's shot-blocking specialist, 6-foot-11 Alvin Jones.
"The way Alvin Jones can block shots, I had to be creative,"
the 6-4 Forte said. "I just wanted to get it up, much less try to
make it."
Tech's Jon Babul was called for a foul under the basket as the
shot fell in, allowing North Carolina to keep the ball. Forte
connected on a 3 from the top of the key, turning it into a
five-point possession.
Georgia Tech missed on its next trip down the floor, and Forte
blew the other way, switching hands as he swept through the lane,
hitting the shot and drawing a foul on Shaun Fein. Forte converted
the three-point play, bringing North Carolina within 44-42.
"It was a fast-paced game," Forte said. "We knew we could get
back into in quickly."
The Yellow Jackets withstood the opening barrage, but North
Carolina finally broke through with the decisive run a few minutes
later. Forte hit another 3, Max Owens tied the score with a jumper
and Lang put the Tar Heels ahead to stay, 53-51, on a hook with
13:08 remaining.
Georgia Tech totally fell apart down the stretch, managing only
one basket during a 7 1/2-minute span as North Carolina pushed the
lead into double digits.
"I don't think we responded well," said Fein, who was only
3-of-14 from the field. "In the first half, we were hitting shots
and getting into our press and getting turnovers. In the second
half, we weren't putting the ball in the basket."
The Tar Heels, who shot 38 percent and had 11 turnovers in the
first half, lost the ball only twice in the second half against
Tech's full-court pressure and improved to 52 percent shooting.
The Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, hit only 23 percent
(7-of-30) from the field in the second half. Tony Akins led with 23
points, but the other four starters combined to shoot 8-of-39 for
the game.
Matt Doherty, a former Tar Heels player, picked up his first ACC
victory as North Carolina's coach.
"I was very anxious before this game, being a rookie coach in
the ACC," Doherty said. "I felt like I did when I coached my
first college game against Winthrop (when he was at Notre Dame).
It's tough being a rookie coach in the ACC."
Georgia Tech also has a first-year coach in Paul Hewitt. He
already earned wins over two of the nation's most prestigious --
albeit struggling -- programs, UCLA and Kentucky, but couldn't add
North Carolina to the list.
"That's a tough way to lose the game, to play so well in the
first half," Hewitt said. "Early in the second half, we had some
good looks that just didn't fall. For some reason, our transition
defense broke down from there."
Hewitt warned his team to keep an eye on Forte, who had 29
points in the previous game against College of Charleston.
"He's a great player and we talked about the fact that he could
put them on his back," Hewitt said. "You've got to make sure you
find him."
Lang had 18 points and Owens added 17 for North Carolina, which
stretched its winning streak to eight in a row and beat Tech for
the fifth straight time.
Things don't get easier for the Yellow Jackets: four of their
next five games are against ACC teams ranked in the top 17.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
North Carolina Clubhouse
Georgia Tech Clubhouse
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