Dec. 31, 2006

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Audio: Gregory Press Conference

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Despite 14 points apiece from freshman Marcus Johnson and junior Brian Roberts, the Dayton Flyers fell 81-51 against the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels.

Senior Monty Scott added 11 points as UD falls to 10-3 overall.

Tyler Hansbrough scored 17 points, Brandan Wright added 16 and Wayne Ellington scored 15 points for the Tar Heels (12-1), who had 11 players score to win for the ninth straight time.

Dayton coach Brian Gregory said he could see a difference between watching the Tar Heels' first few games on tape and seeing them Sunday.

"It's a different team," he said. "I think they've pinpointed what they need to get better at and they're doing a good job of doing it. ... What they do is they force you to make a basketball play on every single possession. And unfortunately in this day and age, there's just not a lot of guys that can do that all the time. And maybe a couple of them are playing on their team."

The Tar Heels jumped to a 12-2 lead in the opening minutes and used 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 Flyers struggled on the offensive end against North Carolina's pressure defense. UD shot 31 percent from the floor and committed 21 turnovers.

One of the lone bright spots on the offensive end was Johnson. He hit 6 of 13 field goals, connected on his only three point attempt and added four rebounds.

Other contributors for the Flyers included Norman Plummer with six points and five rebounds, while Kurt Huelsman chipped in with four points and four boards.

Dayton returns home on Thursday, January 4 against the Charlotte 49ers at 7 p.m. from UD Arena. It's the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams.