North Carolina 86, Arizona 69

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Bobby Frasor found himself 30 feet from the basket with time running out in the first half. No one on his team most of all Frasor seemed surprised when what looked like a desperation heave rattled in.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m a shooter, I can make that shot,&#39;&#39; the freshman point guard said with a smile.<br> <br> Armed with that bit of momentum, North Carolina cruised.<br> <br> Tyler Hansbrough had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Wes Miller added 14 points on his 23rd birthday and the Tar Heels ruined Arizona&#39;s first trip to Chapel Hill with an 86-69 victory Saturday.<br> <br> Reyshawn Terry and Danny Green each scored 13 points while Frasor added nine assists with no turnovers for the Tar Heels (12-5), who won for only the second time in the past five games. They shot a season-high 57 percent from the field to tie the all-time series with the Wildcats 3-3.<br> <br> Each of the previous five came at neutral sites, including the final game of Dean Smith&#39;s career in the 1997 NCAA tournament. That was the most recent meeting, and North Carolina makes a return visit to Arizona next season.<br> <br> ``I think it was huge,&#39;&#39; Hansbrough said. ``Arizona&#39;s usually a powerhouse of basketball, and it was a big win for us.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Mustafa Shakur led the Wildcats (13-7) with 18 points, and teammate Marcus Williams had 17 despite a stomach virus. They had a three-game winning streak snapped in their most lopsided loss of the season.<br> <br> None of their players were made available to reporters following the game because they had a flight to catch.<br> <br> ``I think Carolina did a tremendous job in terms of the effort they put in,&#39;&#39; coach Lute Olson said. ``They put it in right from the start and they kept it going.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Arizona&#39;s struggles began in the waning seconds of the first half, when holding for the final shot and trailing by five points. Adams missed badly and the ball went out of bounds to the Tar Heels with less than 2 seconds remaining.<br> <br> North Carolina coach Roy Williams called a timeout, and he had David Noel throw the inbounds pass. It connected with Frasor, and his shot went through to make it 39-31 at the break.<br> <br> ``I remember when Bobby got it, and he got set and shot it, I saw the release and I knew it was in,&#39;&#39; Hansbrough said.<br> <br> And when Hansbrough opened the final 20 minutes with an easy layup, the margin was 10.<br> <br> ``That shot they made at the end, I don&#39;t know that&#39;s quite in his range, but he showed how he can shoot on that one,&#39;&#39; Olson said. ``But that momentum had been taken away from us with a couple of mistakes earlier.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The lead grew from there, with nearly everyone contributing. Reyshawn Terry put back his own miss, Frasor drove down the lane and Danny Green made a pair of 3-pointers. Noel and Hansbrough worked inside to score, and Miller converted a turnover into a breakaway layup.<br> <br> For Miller, who was starting for the third consecutive game, it was only his fourth basket from inside the arc this season. He also was 4-of-5 on 3-pointers, giving him at least two in six straight games, and North Carolina is 31-of-59 (53 percent) as a team over the past three.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s the best birthday present I could ever imagine,&#39;&#39; Miller said. ``There&#39;s no question that this is a dream come true for me, starting at North Carolina.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Arizona led for the final time at 21-20 before Miller swished a 3, and five ties later, the Tar Heels moved in front for good on Hansbrough&#39;s tip-in. That came during a stretch when the Wildcats missed six of their final eight shots of the first half, and Frasor finished off the run with his desperation shot.<br> <br> ``Everyone&#39;s starting to play well together,&#39;&#39; he said. ``We&#39;re getting to know each other&#39;s tendencies a little better. Even when we were losing, no one was pointing fingers, no one was getting angry. We all stayed positive with each other and just went out there and played.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Perhaps just as important was Frasor&#39;s defense on Hassan Adams, the leading scorer for Arizona coming in at nearly 20 points a game. He finished 6-of-14 from the field for his 12 points against North Carolina, and Williams credited Frasor.<br> <br> ``I think he really tried to focus a great deal,&#39;&#39; Williams said. ``I thought his defense on Hassan Adams was Bobby&#39;s best defensive game of the year.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)