No. 4 N. Carolina Drubs N.C.-Wilmington

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Posted 5:40AM on Wednesday, December 29, 2004

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Jawad Williams scored a season-high 25 points, Sean May added 16 and No. 4 North Carolina had no problems after a weeklong layoff, beating N.C.-Wilmington 96-75 Tuesday night. Raymond Felton finished with 12 points and 10 assists as the Tar Heels (10-1) won their 10th straight. In five home games this season, they have yet to trail. North Carolina made its first seven shots - including four 3-pointers - and led 19-3 barely 5 1/2 minutes into the game. Another fast start after halftime stretched the lead to 67-35, and the Seahawks (5-4) never recovered. Still, three players for the Tar Heels got technicals in the second half: May, Melvin Scott and freshman Marvin Williams. Ed Spencer had 19 for N.C.-Wilmington, which was playing without leading scorer John Goldsberry. He injured his right shoulder in the previous game, a 64-61 victory over Coastal Carolina, and watched this one with his arm in a sling. Goldsberry's teammates sure could have used him, especially in the early going. Their first possession ended with a turnover, and the next one was even uglier. With Beckham Wyrick trapped near midcourt, coach Brad Brownell called timeout, and then his team narrowly beat the 5-second count to get the ball inbounds. The Seahawks shakily ran their offense against North Carolina's trap until the shot clock finally ran out with Wyrick holding the ball about 30 feet from the basket. That exemplified the Seahawks' struggles in the first half. They shot 37 percent, made 12 turnovers and were outrebounded 21-11. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels were cruising in front of a large crowd that included former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards. With Williams and Felton combining to make 13 of 17 shots for the game, they shot 59 percent and finished with 28 assists on 30 baskets. Felton started the run at the beginning of the game with a 3, then Jackie Manuel followed up a steal with a dunk. Williams and Rashad McCants connected from beyond the arc on consecutive trips, Manuel had another slam and Felton made it 16-3 with his second 3-pointer. The Seahawks got back to 31-19 on a 3-pointer by Spencer but couldn't sustain the momentum. A 12-4 spurt to close out the first half - capped by Melvin Scott's long-range jumper - gave North Carolina a 54-26 lead. It got worse in a hurry when Williams and Sean May made the Tar Heels' first five shots of the second half, sending N.C.-Wilmington to its 24th loss in 25 games against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference. T.J. Carter scored 12 points for the Seahawks.