MEMPHIS -- North Carolina seems close to doing to Gonzaga what Oklahoma did to Syracuse in the first game. The Tar Heels have a 53-42 lead over the No. 4-seeded Bulldogs at halftime of their South Regional Sweet 16 game at FedEx Forum, and Gonzaga's deficit would have been worse if not for its mini run at the end of the half. The game is being played at a frantic pace, which clearly favored UNC in the first 20 minutes. Point guard Ty Lawson, who was supposed to have some serious pain in his right toe, scored 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the half. He had four rebounds and two assists, and was off and running on quite a few breaks. Senior Tyler Hansbrough played well in the first half, scoring nine points on 3-for-5 shooting, but UNC's guards were the players doing most of the damage. Wayne Ellington scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting, and Danny Green scored 5 points, with 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but sophomore guard Steven Gray came off the bench and scored seven consecutive points to make it a game again late in the half. Bad news for Gonzaga: Guard Jeremy Pargo picked up three personal fouls in the first half. Starters Josh Heytvelt, Austin Daye and reserve Demetri Goodson have two fouls each. Guard Micah Downs led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the first half.