Nov. 27, 2008

Notre Dame vs North Carolina Box Score

LAHAINA, Hawaii — The reigning national player of the year who had played in only two games this season because of leg injuries, Hansbrough had 34 points to lead the top-ranked Tar Heels to a 102-87 victory over No. 8 Notre Dame on Wednesday night in the championship game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

Point guard Ty Lawson had too much speed in the open court for the Fighting Irish (4-1) and he finished with 22 points and 11 assists. He was selected tournament MVP.

Deon Thompson had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who had a 44-36 rebound advantage and shot 55.7 percent from the field.

Harangody, who had to cover and be covered by Hansbrough despite being sick all day, had 13 points and seven rebounds. Kyle McAlarney picked up the slack, scoring a career-high 39 points on a wild shooting show that saw him finish 10-of-18 from behind the arc.

North Carolina shot 52.9 percent from the field in taking a 46-36 halftime lead, and the numbers were even better to start the second half. The Tar Heels built a 23-point cushion midway through the period.

But the Fighting Irish got to 84-73 behind McAlarney’s 3-point shooting. He hit another long one to make it 90-78 with 2:47 left only to have it answered by a three-point play from Hansbrough.

This game could have had a real family feel but North Carolina freshman Tyler Zeller, the younger brother of Notre Dame’s Luke Zeller, broke his arm against Kentucky and is out for the season, and Ben Hansbrough, the younger brother of Tyler Hansbrough, is sitting out this season at Notre Dame after transferring from Mississippi State.