Penn State Upsets North Carolina

Penn State`s players were dancing at the buzzer, having jolted North Carolina with one of the biggest upsets in the NCAA tournament.

The 82-74 victory came against a Tar Heels team that advanced to the Final Four last year and sent the Nittany Lions to the round of 16 for the first time since 1955.

Titus Ivory and Joe Crispin each scored 21 points for seventh-seeded Penn State (21-11). Gyasi Cline-Heard added 19 points.

Second-seeded North Carolina (26-7) outshot the Lions 47 percent to 44 percent and outrebounded them 44-33. But Penn State had 18 steels and only 11 turnovers compared to the Tar Heels` five steals and 22 turnovers.

It`s the first time this season North Carolina has lost when outshooting an opponent.

Julius Peppers led North Carolina with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Haywood had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Jason Capel and Kris Lang each had 12 points.

The Tar Heels staggered at the end of a season that once looked so promising. They were ranked No. 1 and had an 18-game winning steak when they lost 75-65 to Clemson, the worst team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, on Feb. 18. That sent North Carolina into a tailspin that saw the team head into the NCAAs with four losses in its last eight games.

While the Tar Heels have been racking up 20-win seasons (20 in 31 years), trips to the NCAA tournament (27 straight) and national titles (3), Penn State has been a basketball nonentity. The Nittany Lions have no conference championships, no All-Americans, no current players in the NBA and only three NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 35 years.

The last time Penn State and North Carolina played, Tar Heels coach Matt Doherty was playing for Carolina.

At the start it looked like another blowout for Carolina, which advanced to the second round with a 70-48 victory over Princeton.

The Tar Heels took a 19-8 lead seven minutes into the game and owned the area under the baskets. Penn State didn`t get an offensive rebound for the first 14½ minutes of the game.

But the Nittany Lions had nine steals and only three turnovers in the first half to offset Carolina`s 25-10 rebounding margin. Penn State also hit four 3-pointers and was only down by a point -- 40-39 -- at the break.

Penn State opened the second half with a 16-6 run and led 55-46 with 13:11 remaining.

Two minutes into the half, Cline-Heard and Ivory were both sent to the bench with three fouls. Joe and Jon Crispin made up for their absence. Joe Crispin scored seven of the 16 point run, Jon added two steals and a basket.

Over the first eight minutes of the second half, Carolina shot 25 percent from the field but took advantage of the Nittany Lions` foul trouble, making the most of their trips to the line. The Tar Heels were 6-of-8 from the line during a 16-7 run that tied it at 62 with 7:18 remaining.

Penn State, which beat Providence 69-59 in the first round, will play 11th-seeded Temple on Friday night. The Nittany Lions beat Temple 66-60 this season.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News (AP)