Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - Tyler Hansbrough scored 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds as top-ranked North Carolina doused in-state rival UNC-Asheville, 93-81, at the Smith Center.

Wayne Ellington added 19 points for the Tar Heels (16-0), who were coming off a hard-fought 90-88 win over Clemson. Ty Lawson chipped in with 17 points and seven assists, while Deon Thompson contributed eight points and 10 boards.

"I feel like I have said this several times, we feel very fortunate to have won," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "We did not play our best, but you have to give credit to UNC-Asheville. They really did some things that made it difficult for us."

Bryan Smithson had a game-high 25 points for the Bulldogs (11-4), who lost for the first time in four games. K.J. Garland donated 16 points and dished out six assists, while Kenny George finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Tar Heels entered the final frame with a 13-point lead and looked like they put things away rather early. After a three by the Bulldogs' Garland made it a 54-45 game, North Carolina reeled off a 13-4 run. Ellington's bucket capped the burst, giving the Tar Heels a 67-49 edge with 14:13 left in the game.

But, the Bulldogs refused to fold and hung around. A George hoop, with just over five minutes left, made it a 10-point game, 84-74.

"I thought we played a good game. We didn't come here to just play a `good game'. When we got the score back to 10," Bulldogs coach Eddie Biedenbach said.

Both offenses went cold from there until Hansbrough got loose for a bucket with 3:21 remaining. The Tar Heels' All-American followed with a pair of free throws before Lawson put the game away for good with another basket to make it a 90-74 game with 2:40 left.

"We just need to step it up, pick it up on the defensive end of the court, especially on the ball," Ellington said. "Coach was frustrated tonight. We didn't do that we know we're capable of."

The Tar Heels raced out to a quick 9-2 lead when Lawson drilled a jumper less than three minutes into the game. An Ellington bucket with about 13 1/2 minutes left in the half gave North Carolina its first double-digit cushion, 20-10.

UNC-Asheville showed a lot of pluck, however, and drew within three, 28-25, when Sean Smith buried a three with 7:56 remaining until intermission.

North Carolina seemed to awaken at that point and closed the half strongly. Ellington's triple, with 49 seconds left, gave the Tar Heels a comfortable 53-38 cushion and North Carolina took a 13-point lead, 53-40, into the locker room.