CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 27 (UPI) -- Tyler Hansbrough shook off a poor first half Thursday to carry North Carolina past Washington State 68-47 and into the NCAA Tournament's regional finals.
Hansbrough was held without a field goal during the opening 20 minutes, missing all four of his attempts, but finished with 18 points in the semifinals of the East Region and pushed the Tar Heels to within one victory of the Final Four.
Danny Green added 15 points for North Carolina and Wayne Ellington had 13.
After reaching the 100-point mark in its first two tournament games, North Carolina relied on its defense to claim its 35th victory against only two defeats. Washington State made just 18 field goals in 57 attempts and saw the Tar Heels pull away during the closing minutes of the first half.
The Tar Heels had only a one-point lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half, but closed the opening period on a 20-7 run. Washington State could not make a charge in the second half and did not reach the 30-point mark until 11 minutes remained in the game.
The Cougars (26-9) were led by Derrick Low and Aron Baynes with 14 points each.
Dean Wilson leads PGA event in Louisiana
AVONDALE, La., March 27 (UPI) -- Dean Wilson has a one-stroke lead over a trio of players after 18 holes of the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans in Avondale, La.
In Thursday's first round, the native of Kaneohe, Hawaii, made one bogey with seven birdies on the way to 6-under-par 66.
The bogey came at the par 4 sixth hole while his round ended with birdies on four of his last six holes.
Wilson, who missed the cut in five of eight tournaments to date this season, is searching for his second win on the PGA Tour. He won the now-defunct International in Castle Rock, Colo., in 2006.
Peter Lonard, Briny Baird and little-known five-year veteran Chez Reavie share second place at 5-under 67.
Five players, including Steve Elkington, are tied for fifth place at 4-under 68.
Fish eliminated in Ericsson Open
MIAMI, March 27 (UPI) -- Mardy Fish, who shocked world No. 1 Roger Federer last week, failed to make it out of the first round Thursday at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
After defeating Federer, Fish reached the finals in Indian Wells before falling to Novak Djokovic. At this Masters Series event, Fish was eliminated in the opening round by Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3.
In another surprise, Bobby Reynolds out-fought Marat Safin 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5). Safin, once ranked No. 1 in the world, has won only one match in six tries this year.
Jose Acasuso earned a second-round meeting with Lleyton Hewitt by defeating Santiago Ventura 6-2, 6-4. Mario Ancic survived against Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3.
Also winning in the first round were Dudi Sela, Simone Bolelli, Jurgen Melzer, Julien Benneteau, Ivo Minar, Janko Tipsarevic, Viktor Troicki and Ernests Gulbis.
Troicki will play sixth-seeded Andy Roddick in the second round.
The 32 seeds all received first-round byes. Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic are the event's top three seeds.
No changes on U.S. Davis Cup team
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 27 (UPI) -- There were no changes when the U.S. Davis Cup team was unveiled Thursday for a quarterfinal match against France next month.
The U.S. team features James Blake and Andy Roddick for singles and twin brothers Mike and Bob Bryan for doubles. The team, which is the same for a record 10th straight time, was announced by captain Patrick McEnroe in White Plains, N.Y. Mardy Fish was chosen to be a reserve.
"These guys have been amazing in their commitment to playing for their country and playing Davis Cup," McEnroe said during a teleconference.
France has not announced its team for the event at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C., April 11-13.
The U.S. qualified for the quarterfinals after beating Austria 4-1 in Vienna in February, while France trounced Romania 5-0 to reach its eighth straight Davis Cup quarterfinal.
Other quarterfinal matchups are Germany-Spain in Bremen, Germany; Sweden-Argentina in Buenos Aires; and Russia against the Czech Republic in Moscow.
