Hansbrough helps lead Tar Heels to title

Tyler Hansbrough got the send-off he wanted in his final home game at North Carolina, thanks in part to Ty Lawson.

Hansbrough scored 17 points help the No. 2 Tar Heels beat No. 7 Duke, 79-71, Sunday and win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

Lawson added 13 points and several key plays late for the Tar Heels, 27-3 overall and 13-3 in the ACC, who earned the top seeding for next week’s conference tournament in Atlanta. North Carolina shot 53% and led most of the second half for its sixth win in seven meetings with Duke.

Jon Scheyer scored 24 points for the Blue Devils (25-6, 11-5), while Kyle Singler added 23. But they never could overtake the Tar Heels once they fell behind midway through the second half, falling short in their bid to clinch at least a share of the ACC’s regular-season crown for the first time since 2006.

North Carolina, which beat Duke, 101-87, at Cameron Indoor Stadium last month, swept the Blue Devils for only the second time in the last 13 years. The Tar Heels also won the ACC outright for the third time in five seasons.

It was a familiar scenario for North Carolina, which beat the Blue Devils by eight to clinch the ACC crown in last year’s regular-season finale.

Hansbrough made five of 11 shots but hit two three-pointers. He exited the game after fouling out with 13.8 seconds left, waving his arms to acknowledge the crowd.