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Sunday, March 6
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Duke University
73
at
75
North Carolina
No. 6 Duke Falls To No. 2 North Carolina, 75-73
3/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2005
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery
By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Freshman Marvin Williams had it all in his hands - the game, the outright Atlantic Coast Conference title and a probable No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
He handled the pressure like a veteran.
The dynamic forward converted a three-point play with 17 seconds left to cap North Carolina's game-closing 11-0 run and give the second-ranked Tar Heels a 75-73 victory over No. 6 Duke on Sunday.
Sean May of North Carolina had 26 points and 24 rebounds to record his eighth straight double-double, and his final rebound was the most important. After J.J. Redick missed a long 3-pointer that would have won it for the Blue Devils, teammate Daniel Ewing had a final chance from just inside the arc.
But his shot was short, and May leaped high for the carom. He cradled the ball in his hand while the clock ran out, then hurled it into the stands. Hundreds of fans rushed the court to celebrate the Tar Heels' third victory over their Tobacco Road rival in the past 16 meetings.
North Carolina (26-3, 14-2) won its first ACC regular season championship since 1993, the same year of its most recent national title.
Shelden Williams had 25 points and six blocks for Duke (22-5, 11-5), which played without guard Sean Dockery for the third straight game. Redick scored all 17 of his points in the first half.
Even without Redick scoring at his usual pace, the Blue Devils seemingly had control late in the second half. They broke from a tie at 64 with a 9-0 run capped by a 3 by Lee Melchionni with 3:07 left. That was his fifth 3 of the second half and it gave Duke a 73-64 lead.
Jawad Williams stopped the Tar Heels' drought with a tip-in and Marvin Williams added two free throws to make it 73-68. On the other end, DeMarcus Nelson missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and May powered inside for a three-point play to cut the margin to two.
Later, North Carolina point guard Raymond Felton had a chance to tie it, but his runner from the lane rattled around the rim before bouncing out. Then Daniel Ewing, the lone senior on the court for the Blue Devils, lost the ball near midcourt, and Felton grabbed it and quickly called a timeout with 27 seconds left.
The situation was eerily similar to the one the Tar Heels faced earlier this season in a 71-70 loss at Duke, when they couldn't get off a shot in the final seconds. This time, Felton drove to the basket and was fouled by Nelson. He swished the first free throw to make it 73-72.
His second bounced high off the rim, and after a brief scramble for the ball, Marvin Williams grabbed it and quickly shot over Duke walk-on Patrick Johnson. The shot banked in as he was fouled, and his free throw capped the furious rally.
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