Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
North Carolina 86, Washington 83
When: 12:15 PM ET, Sunday, March 20, 2011
Where: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Officials: # Don Daily, # Steve Olson, # Doug Shows
Attendance: N/A

CHARLOTTE – Tyler Zeller scored 23 points and Harrison Barnes added 22 to give No. 2 seed North Carolina an 86-83 win over No. 7 seed Washington on Sunday in third-round action of the NCAA tournament.

North Carolina (28-7) trailed through much of the second half but pulled out the win, as all five Tar Heel starters scored in double figures. North Carolina advances to the Sweet 16 and will face the winner of Marquette-Syracuse.

Terrence Ross scored 19 points off the bench to lead Washington (24-11).

North Carolina took the lead for good with 4:04 left in the game on a Barnes' 3-pointer that capped a 9-2 run. Washington hung around and had the ball trailing 84-83 with seven seconds remaining, but North Carolina stole the inbounds pass and Dexter Strickland made two free throws to secure the win.

Washington jumped on North Carolina early, using a quick 11-0 run that featured 3-pointers on three straight offensive possessions to take an 11-point lead with 10:51 left in the first half.

North Carolina battled back behind its talented frontcourt, while also keeping Washington’s Isaiah Thomas in check. North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall outplayed Thomas, scoring 13 points and dishing out 14 assists. Thomas finished with 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Top Game Performances
 
Washington   North Carolina
Terrence Ross 19 Scoring Tyler Zeller 23
Isaiah Thomas 8 Assists Kendall Marshall 14
Aziz N'Diaye 11 Rebounds John Henson 10
Venoy Overton 3 Free Throws Made Tyler Zeller 7
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 2 Steals Harrison Barnes 3
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 1 Blocks John Henson 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Washington 83 45.8 10-19 7-7 17 38 2 6
North Carolina 86 47.0 6-12 18-23 18 33 5 7