Dec 8, 2001
Box Score?|?Quotes?|?Notes?|?Photo Gallery
By STEVE BAILEY
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky coach Tubby Smith has seen Tayshaun Prince take over games before.
But even Smith had to shake his head after his senior All-American made seven first-half 3-pointers – including six straight in the first eight minutes – as the 11th-ranked Wildcats dominated North Carolina 79-59 Saturday.
“That was just unbelievable,” Smith said. “I’ve never seen anybody do that. He was possessed.”
Prince tied a career high with 31 points, finishing 7-for-11 from behind the 3-point line, and grabbed 11 rebounds as Kentucky (5-1) became the first school to win 1,800 games.
“It was unbelievable, especially playing against a team like North Carolina,” said Prince, who had his second straight double-double. “As a little kid, you dream about these games.
“It’s a remarkable feeling to hit four or five shots in a row and really get your team going in a game like this.”
Kris Lang scored 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, and Jason Capel added 11 points and 12 rebounds for North Carolina (1-4), which is off to the worst start in the program’s history.
“Kentucky played great defense,” North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said. “I expected them to come out and play hard and they did. We have to work on our execution, our cutting and passing drills.”
Kentucky punished the Tar Heels – ranked second behind Kentucky in all-time victories with 1,782 – at both ends of the floor.
The Wildcats outrebounded North Carolina 45-33, including a 22-16 margin at the offensive end. They also forced 19 turnovers, leading to 25 points, and held the Tar Heels to 36 percent shooting.
“They got their hands on a lot of rebounds, especially at the offensive end,” Capel said. “They would tip it, keep it alive and keep coming up with it. Those are things we can’t control.”
Prince didn’t wait long to make an impact. With Kentucky trailing 4-0, he hit five straight 3-pointers to give the Wildcats a 15-10 lead and send the Rupp Arena crowd into a frenzy at the 16-minute mark.
“It didn’t hit me exactly what he’d done until I got off the court because I was in the game while he was doing it,” Kentucky’s J.P. Blevins said. “I’ve seen his range and it didn’t surprise me how hot he got.
“When he’s feeling it like that, all you can do is sit back and watch – and that was quite a performance.”
Following Marvin Stone’s inside basket, Prince made another 3 to push Kentucky’s lead to 20-12 with 12:35 remaining in the half.
“If I’m sitting on the North Carolina bench at that point, I’m wondering what’s going on,” Smith said.
Doherty was doing just that.
“He was phenomenal,” Doherty said. “I don’t know if I can ever remember a guy shooting the basketball like he did tonight.”
Rashaad Carruth’s 3-pointer gave Kentucky a 33-20 lead with 9:20 to play. An 8-2 North Carolina run, including back-to-back jump hooks by Lang, cut the margin to 35-28 with 4:53 remaining.
Prince’s final 3 of the half gave the Wildcats a 40-28 lead with 3:38 remaining. Carruth’s long 3-pointer in the final minute gave Kentucky a 47-35 halftime lead.
“He surprised me,” Capel said of Prince. “I’ve always known he was a good shooter, but he was making them from the ‘K’ at halfcourt today.”
Prince scored the first two baskets of the second half on strong drives to the rim, and the Wildcats never were challenged the rest of the way.
North Carolina cut the lead to 15 on a basket and free throw by Jawad Williams with 4:13 to play, but Cliff Hawkins’ two free throws slammed the door on any hopes of a comeback.
“We’re starting to mature as a team,” Smith said. “We played our best defensive game of the season today, but we still haven’t played up to our potential.”
