Dec. 31, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -Tyler Hansbrough scored 17 points and Brandan Wright added 16 to lead No. 2 North Carolina past Dayton 81-51 on Sunday.

Wayne Ellington scored 15 points for the Tar Heels (12-1), who had 11 players score to win for the ninth straight time.

Marcus Johnson and Brian Roberts each scored 14 points to lead the Flyers (10-3), who offered little challenge against one of the nation's top teams for the second straight outing. Dayton lost its last game by 30 points at No. 10 Pittsburgh last week.

The Tar Heels proved too talented, athletic and deep, jumping to a 12-2 lead in the opening minutes and using a burst late in the half to take a 34-18 lead. The Tar Heels steadily increased that margin, getting 3-pointers from Reyshawn Terry and Wes Miller to make it 54-27 with about 13 minutes left.

The Tar Heels also used a stingy defensive effort to take control in the first half, holding Dayton to 7-for-32 shooting (22 percent). Dayton finished the game shooting 31 percent, while the Tar Heels took a 44-31 rebounding edge and blocked eight shots - numbers that were sure to please coach Roy Williams.

The lead ballooned to as much as 36 points late, marking the Tar Heels' sixth straight lopsided victory. Since beating Kentucky 75-63 on Dec. 2, North Carolina has won the six games by an average margin of 33 points.

During halftime, North Carolina honored Sean May, Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants, who led the Tar Heels to the 2005 NCAA championship before leaving school as juniors to become first-round NBA draft picks. The school hung the trio's numbers in the rafters of the Smith Center among the "honored" jerseys.

Only seven players have their jerseys retired at North Carolina, including Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Antawn Jamison.