COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Georgia Tech Upsets North Carolina

Malcolm Mackey didn’t really think he and his Georgia Tech teammates were going to beat seventh-ranked North Carolina, especially at Chapel Hill, N.C., where the Tar Heels are almost invincible.

Having been embarrassed on national TV by Duke earlier in the season, Mackey was thinking in terms of making the final score respectable.

But he did better than that. He converted a three-point play with three seconds remaining Sunday to cap a rally from a 16-point deficit, and the Yellow Jackets upset North Carolina, 88-86, in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.

Mackey, who scored 24 points, had 18 in the second half as Georgia Tech, 12-5 overall and 4-2 in the ACC, ended a five-game losing streak in the Smith Center and won its first game at Chapel Hill since the 1984-85 season. Mackey also had 17 rebounds.

North Carolina took two timeouts after Mackey’s points. After the second, George Lynch tossed a low pass to Rick Fox, who dribbled from the right wing along the baseline and banked in a short jumper. But referee Rick Hartzell waved off the basket, ruling it came after the final buzzer.

The Tar Heels (14-3, 3-2) led, 56-40, after two free throws by Hubert Davis with 17:35 remaining. From there, Georgia Tech’s rally began with a three-point basket by Jon Barry at 16:45. Lynch got a layup, but the Yellow Jackets responded with a 19-1 run and led, 62-59, after Bryan Hill’s dunk with 12:09 left.

The lead changed hands five more times after that. Fox made two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to give North Carolina an 86-85 lead.

No. 21 Georgetown 83, No. 17 Pittsburgh 78--Dikembe Mutombo scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half as the visiting Hoyas (12-5, 4-3) rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Panthers (15-5, 4-3) for the fourth time in a row.

In a physical game in which the teams were called for a Big East Conference record 61 fouls, Pitt lost Brian Shorter and 6-foot-7 sophomore Chris McNeal to fouls, and three other Panthers had four or more fouls. Georgetown lost Robert Churchwell to fouls and four other Hoyas had four or more. The Big East has a six-foul rule.

Pitt led, 67-66, when Shorter left, but the Hoyas--with the 7-2 Mutombo and 6-10 Alonzo Mourning roaming at will around the basket--later went on a 10-1 run capped by Mutombo’s jam for a 76-71 lead.

Jason Matthews had 15 points and Darelle Porter 14 for Pitt. Charles Harrison had 16 points and Joey Brown 10 for the Hoyas, who had lost three of their previous five games.