Ginyard leads Heels in ?nal home game

Tuesday night might have been all about North Carolina’s past, but nothing came easy for the Tar Heels of the present.

After Miami battled back from an 18-point deficit early in the second half to cut the lead to one, it took inspirational play from UNC’s seniors to put the Hurricanes away.

Deon Thompson overcame an ailing back and hit one of his signature turnaround jumpers to put the Tar Heels ahead 61-58.

And Marcus Ginyard — who, in five years, had never put together a double-double — pulled down two crucial rebounds and hit three late free throws to secure the 69-62 win on Senior Night.

Ginyard was tenacious on the glass in leading his team to a 51-27 rebounding edge.

“I introduced him in the locker room tonight to the freshmen at the end of the game,” Williams said. “I said, ‘That’s the Marcus that we’ve known in the past, that you guys have not been able to see.”

While also garnering five assists, the fifth-year senior finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds to finally get himself into double-double territory.

Just as importantly, Ginyard had the confidence to shake off mistakes that might have bothered him at other times this season. He got called for a charge at one point and took it right back into traffic to draw a foul on the next play.

The Tar Heels might still return to the Smith Center if they were to have a home game in the NIT tournament. But you couldn’t tell from watching Ginyard, who went after every loose ball like it was his last.

“He played like a man,” freshman John Henson said. “I haven’t seen Marcus play like that.”

For awhile, it looked like a full-scale celebration was in order. The Tar Heels held a 10-point lead in the first half for the first time since Dec. 30, and a 21-3 run spanning halftime put them ahead 44-26.

But Miami’s Durand Scott was the latest in a long line of ACC guards to scorch the Tar Heels for big numbers. He had 29 points while leading the Hurricanes’ comeback.

It didn’t help that UNC was back to its usual self in the turnover department. The Tar Heels turned the ball over 17 times, prompting Williams to give his team yet another lecture.

“I told them in the locker room that we’re going to go take a eye test and make sure that everybody knows that the good guys are the ones wearing the same color we are,” Williams said. “Turnovers kill you.”

The other upperclassman on the court — junior Will Graves — rose to the occasion with a team-high 16 points and four 3-pointers.

“That’s one thing that Will does,” Henson said. “When the pressure’s on, he hits shots.”

In the end, Thompson and Ginyard could both leave the court to standing ovations and big smiles on their faces. And Ginyard, with 35 rebounds in the past three games, was overjoyed to be finally finishing his career the way he wanted to.

“I don’t think it could have happened any better for me tonight,” he said.


Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.