Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 6, 1992 TAG: 9202060255
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL BRILL SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHAPEL HILL, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
CAROLINA GIVES DUKE 1ST DEFEAT
It was a scene inconceivable in the Dean Dome.There were the normally placid North Carolina fans Wednesday night, storming the court, raising their index fingers in the air, trying to cut down the net.
For a regular season basketball game.
It was, of course, a 75-73 victory over No. 1 Duke.
That victory was achieved when Christian Laettner, the Duke All-American, missed two contested layups in the closing seconds.
North Carolina won the game in a manner that had carried Duke to 23 victories in a row, or since it lost to the Tar Heels in last season's ACC Tournament final.
Free throws and defense.
After scoring almost entirely inside the whole game, Carolina didn't make a field goal in the last 9:53.
But while Duke, which goes to the free-throw line as often as any team, missed four of its last six, UNC made 12 of 15 after its final field goal.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski described the finish perfectly. "It was somewhat chaotic, to say the least," he said.
The last few seconds were as wild as it gets this side of the Final Four.
Having been held without a basket for the first 5:45 of the last half, Duke fell behind 48-39. "We didn't play well during that stretch," Krzyzewski said.
From that point on, things happened that you don't usually see. "I'm not sure that anybody knew what the hell was going on," Coach K said.
That included Lenny Wirtz blowing his whistle to halt a 3-on-1 Duke fast break when Laettner and Kevin Salvadori, one of two aggressive UNC 7-footers, got their hands tangled in each other's jersey. "I've never seen that before," Coach K said.
A team that likes the 3-point shot, Carolina made just two of eight, including the most unusual shot imaginable. Derrick Phelps, whose defense forced Bobby Hurley into six turnovers, threw a lob pass intended for Eric Montross. It was long. But on target. A 3-pointer.
UNC coach Dean Smith, who has seen Duke become the nation's basketball darling, had his team ready to play. The Heels were the aggressors underneath, taking advantage of their size and strength.
Smith also put a constant double-team pressure on Laettner, who was held to 12 points. "We had to give up something," Smith said, indicating he was willing to let Brian Davis shoot. Although Davis led the Devils with 17 points, he also took a game-high 15 shots.
While Carolina almost always was in command, Duke wouldn't go away. The Blue Devils managed a tie with 1:03 left when Laettner scored on a stickback to make it 73-73. It was the only deadlock of the second half.
Then it got frantic. Hurley fouled Phelps, who made both free throws with 44.5 seconds left for the final scoring, but hardly the last action.
Down low, Laettner had a near-layup, but Montross bellied up and it was short.
UNC got a fast break, Brian Reese missed, and Montross tried to dunk the rebound. He threw it off the rim, Duke roared down the floor, and Laettner barreled up the middle. He missed again.
Carolina was assured its 16th win in 19 games and kept Duke (17-1 overall, 8-1 ACC) from virtually clinching the regular-season title. The Heels are 6-2 in the league.
On a night when No. 2 Oklahoma State also fell, thus removing everybody from the ranks of the unbeaten, it was like old times in Chapel Hill - as in the days when the Heels played in Carmichael Auditorium.
When Florida State upset Carolina here earlier, Sam Cassell had accurately called the passive audience a "wine and cheese crowd."
"No wine and cheese tonight," Salvadori said. \
see microfilm for box score