COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Tar Heels Win on the Rebound

A short stay on the bench was all George Lynch needed.

Lynch, benched for a poor game against Florida State, scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half to rally ninth-ranked North Carolina to a 98-87 victory over Jacksonville Tuesday night at Jacksonville, Fla.

“That’s the best (Lynch) has played this year, in the second half,” North Carolina Coach Dean Smith said. “In the second half we just went through their press. We decided to pound it inside.”

Lynch made every shot he took in the second half, eight field goals and four free throws.

The 6-7 junior had eight points during an 18-0 run that gave North Carolina (7-1) a 68-61 lead while Jacksonville went 6 minutes 11 seconds without a point.

North Carolina controlled the boards, 24-16, in the second half to erase a 13-point deficit.

Eric Montross added 21 points and 12 rebounds and Hubert Davis, who also didn’t start, had 20 points as the Tar Heels bounced back from Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference home loss to Florida State.

Walk-on guard James Fuller scored 28 points for Jacksonville (1-6), making 10 of 15 shots, including six of 10 three-pointers.

The Dolphins led most of the first half, with Fuller’s three-pointer at the buzzer giving Jacksonville a 52-42 lead.

No. 12 Michigan State 75, Illinois Chicago 51--Dwayne Stephens scored 19 points and the Spartans trounced the Flames at East Lansing, Mich.

Illinois Chicago (2-5) made three three-pointers in the opening minutes for a 9-0 lead and was ahead, 13-4, after five minutes before Michigan State (7-0) rallied to take a 32-31 halftime lead.

The Spartans held the Flames scoreless for 6:47 in the second half, scoring 19 points in a row.

OTHER GAMES

Elmore Smith scored 31 points and J.R. Rider 26 as Nevada Las Vegas beat Auburn, 85-82, at Las Vegas. Wesley Person led Auburn (4-2) with 28 points. UNLV (4-2) was coming off consecutive losses to Rutgers and Missouri. . . . Shaquille O’Neal scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots in a 101-64 victory by Louisiana State (3-2) over Southeastern Louisiana (2-7) at Baton Rogue, La. . . . Chandler Thompson had 19 points and 14 rebounds and made two free throws with nine seconds left, to give Ball State (6-1) a 61-59 victory over Indiana State (0-5) at Terre Haute, Ind. . . . Clarence Weatherspoon scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in leading Southern Mississippi (4-2) to a 95-80 victory over Tennessee Tech (2-5) at Hattiesburg, Miss. . . . Stanley Jackson scored 29 points and Alabama Birmingham (8-1) registered its eighth consecutive victory, 90-75, over Tulsa (1-3) at Birmingham, Ala. . . . Purdue (5-2) scored the first 11 points and rolled past Stetson, 101-75, at West Lafayette, Ind. Mark Brisker scored 20 points for the Hatters (3-4).