Top-ranked North Carolina waited for Tyler Hansbrough to make history, then cruised to its latest lopsided victory.
Hansbrough scored 20 points last night to break the storied program's career scoring record and help the Tar Heels (10-0) remain unbeaten with a 91-73 victory over visiting Evansville (7-2).
The reigning National Player of the Year passed Phil Ford for the record midway through the first half. Ford, now an assistant coach to fellow Tar Heel alumnus Larry Brown with the NBA Charlotte Bobcats, finished his career in 1978 with 2,290 points.
As soon as the record-setting shot went through the net, officials briefly stopped the game to allow Ford, coach Roy Williams and athletic director Dick Baddour to present Hansbrough with the game ball.
"I never dreamed I'd be here and be the all-time leading scorer," Hansbrough said as he stood alone at midcourt after the game. "This is a great honor to be here and to represent you guys every night in this uniform."
Shy Ely scored 23 points for the Purple Aces.
No. 8 Gonzaga 84, Texas Southern 42: : Josh Heytvelt scored 21 points and the Bulldogs (8-1) crushed the visiting Tigers (0-10) despite a snowstorm that nearly paralyzed Spokane, Wash.
No. 9 Louisville 77, Mississippi 68: : Earl Clark had career highs of 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Cardinals (7-1), playing in nearby Cincinnati, won their fifth straight, adding a little more misery to Rebels coach Andy Kennedy's day. David Huertas had 20 points for the Rebels (7-4), who fought gamely after a tumultuous day that began with Kennedy's arrest on misdemeanor assault charges after an altercation with a cab driver.
Top 25 women
No. 1 Connecticut 109, Washington 51: : Tina Charles scored 29 points for the Huskies (7-0) at the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico. Washington (3-4) has lost all three of its meetings with UConn.
No. 5 Texas 81, No. 21 Arizona State 71: : Kathleen Nash scored a career-high 27 points for the host Longhorns (10-0). Dymond Simon led the Sun Devils (7-3) with 21 points.
No. 11 Tennessee 81, Old Dominion 76: : Angie Bjorklund matched her career high with 29 points as the visiting Lady Vols (8-2) defeated the rival Lady Monarchs (5-3).
No. 17 Virginia 73, Monmouth 45: : Monica Wright scored a game-high 28 points for the host Cavaliers (8-2). Jennifer Bender had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Hawks (4-6).
No. 25 Georgia Tech 65, Winthrop 27: : At the Bahamas SunSplash Shootout in Nassau, Alex Montgomery scored 16 points to lead the Yellow Jackets (9-2) to their fifth straight win. Ashley Haugtvedt scored 10 points for the Eagles (4-4).
Off the court
Mississippi: : Police in Cincinnati arrested Kennedy early yesterday after a cab driver said the coach punched him while calling him "bin Laden" and other racial insults. A pretrial hearing has been set for Jan. 16. Kennedy was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor count of assault, which would carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail for conviction.
Kennedy denied the allegations, and attorney Mike Allen entered a written plea of not guilty in Hamilton County Municipal Court.
The complaint filed in Municipal Court alleges that Kennedy assaulted Mohamed Moctar Ould Jiddou and "punched the victim with a closed fist while shouting racial slurs."
Et cetera: : Tip-off for Monday's Maryland game against visiting American has been moved back to 7:45 p.m. ... Ohio State junior forward David Lighty (9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds) will miss six to 12 weeks after surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot.