Charlotte, NC -- (Sports Network) - Tyler Hansbrough shook off a field goal-free first half to score 18 points and the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels played the part of defensive stoppers in a 68-47 victory over fourth-seeded Washington State in an East Regional Sweet 16 contest.

Washington State had allowed just 40.5 points per contest in the NCAA Tournament, while North Carolina had scored 221 points in its first two victories. The contrast of playing styles held serve early before the Tar Heels (35-2) used defensive pressure to trigger offensive efficiency for the final 30 minutes.

Danny Green scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half and Wayne Ellington added nine of his 13 in the first 20 minutes, picking up the slack for the All-American Hansbrough, who was held to just two points on 0-of-4 shooting.

"I think just making one basket really, kinda gets me going," said Green. "That shot gives me the confidence to knock down the next one and getting into a rhythm in the game and playing good defense, diving on the floor, doing the little things to get the butterflies out."

Ty Lawson added 12 points and five rebounds for the Tar Heels, who will meet Louisville in the East Regional final on Saturday. Hansbrough also grabbed nine rebounds and Ellington and Deon Thompson snagged eight apiece, as North Carolina held a substantial 46-32 edge on the backboards.

Derrick Low and Aron Baynes scored 14 points apiece for the Cougars (26-9), who were undone by poor shooting from every spot on the floor. Kyle Weaver needed 13 shots to score his 10 points, though he grabbed seven rebounds.

"It was hard out there," concluded Cougars head coach Tony Bennett. "It was disappointing because I think we're better than what we showed, and North Carolina is excellent and well coached and tremendous talent and all that."

A game that started at Washington State's crawling pace started to pick up about midway through the opening half. Baynes' jump hook brought the Cougars within 15-14 with under nine minutes on the clock, but Thompson scored off the glass and Ellington scored off the secondary break with a mid-range jumper.

After Weaver made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, Ellington scored again in transition and Green drained one of his three treys for a 24-15 game. Hansbrough's first and only first-half points came from the foul line with 1:12 to go, giving the Tar Heels a double-digit edge at 30-20.

Lawson's three-pointer off a set in-bounds play pushed the Tar Heels to a 35-21 advantage at the half.

Hansbrough started to assert himself offensively early in the second half, and UNC slowly built its lead. Alex Stepheson followed two highlight-reel blocks with a three-point play, pushing the edge to 47-27 with 11:45 to play.

Down 20 points after scoring just 27 over the first 28 minutes, Washington State faced an uphill climb. The climb got harder with each miss, as the Cougars made only 2-of-16 from beyond the arc and shot only 31.6 percent overall.

North Carolina shot just 38.7 percent and made only 1-of-9 from long distance in the second half, but actually outscored the Cougars thanks to continued intensity on the defensive end. Washington State made only 29 percent of its shots in the final 20 minutes, including a 1-of-11 effort from three-point range.

Consecutive coast-to-coast Lawson layups pushed the Tar Heels' lead to 55-32, and they cruised to the finish.

Game Notes

The game marked the first-ever meeting between the schools...Lawson didn't register an assist and committed two turnovers after failing to commit even one turnover over the first two contests of the NCAA Tournament...Washington State's two stars, Weaver and Low, combined to make just 9-of-29 from the floor...Taylor Rochestie made only 1-of-8 shots for two points for the Cougars.