NEW YORK - Tyler Hansbrough bounced back from one of the worst games of his college career to score 27 points and lead No. 2 North Carolina to a 101-87 victory over No. 22 Tennessee on Friday in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off.<br>
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The 6-foot-9 sophomore had nine points just his second game as a Tar Heel below double figures on 2-for-5 shooting in the 82-74 loss to Gonzaga in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.<br>
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On Friday, his teammates consistently got him the ball inside and Hansbrough, a third-team All-America and Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year last season, converted. He also picked up four offensive rebounds. He finished 8-for-18 from the field, 11-for-15 from the free throw line and had nine rebounds.<br>
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Freshman forward Brandan Wright had 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for the Tar Heels, who finished with a 54-30 advantage on the boards.<br>
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North Carolina (4-1) led 56-35 at halftime as Hansbrough scored 11 points. The Tar Heels shot 57.9 percent in the opening 20 minutes (22-for-38), a big improvement on their 36.8 effort in the loss to Gonzaga.<br>
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JeJuan Smith and Chris Lofton both had 18 points to lead the Volunteers (4-2), who lost 56-44 to Butler in the semifinals.<br>
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Smith, a 6-2 guard, was ejected from the game with 12:34 to play when he was called for a flagrant intentional foul after pulling down Hansbrough from behind on a fast break.<br>
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Tennessee had hit four straight 3-pointers the last a four-point play by Smith to get within 70-57 after trailing by as much as 61-38 with 18:42 to go.
