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CHAPEL HILL — The door to Roy Williams' doghouse swings both ways.

And for that, Will Graves is grateful.

Graves, who started the first 11 games for North Carolina this season, scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench to help the No. 10 Tar Heels beat Marshall 98-61 at the Smith Center on Tuesday, snapping the Thundering Herd's seven-game winning streak.

Ed Davis finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Carolina (9-3). Davis had seven points during the pivotal 18-0 scoring run that broke the game open early in the second half.

Marcus Ginyard had five of his 14 points in that run. Deon Thompson also finished with 14, and 7-foot Tyler Zeller scored 18 off the bench.

But it was Graves who stood out, first by his absence from the starting lineup and later by his play on the court.

"I've never in my life, never, played favorites," Carolina coach Williams said. "If you play the best, you're going to play the most. So guys have got to step up. Tonight I set Will down and didn't start him, and he played better when he got in there. So in the second half, I started him.

"It's really simple," Williams added. "It's up to them. I've said that before and I believe it from the bottom of my heart: Players determine who plays."

Graves, a junior from Greensboro and former News & Record prep player of the year at Dudley, came into the game with a team-high 14 3-pointers. But he was shooting just 33 percent (14-for-42) from behind the arc.

He sank all three of his 3-point attempts against Marshall (9-2), including a big shot with 1.2 seconds left in a ragged first half that put the Tar Heels ahead 44-35.

"It was everything," Graves said when asked why he didn't start. "Everything needed to step up. I guess I was probably at about 70 percent, and (Williams) wanted everything to go up to 100 percent.

"Whether I was starting or not, if coach felt like I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do, that's all the fuel I need. Doing what he wants me to do is enough fuel to make me want to do better."

Williams said Graves' 3-point shooting was a bonus. The improvements he wanted to see came on defense and rebounding.

The 10 rebounds were a career-high for Graves, giving him his first double-double.

"Whatever (Williams) felt like I needed to do, I wanted to just make sure I picked up my game all the way around," Graves said. "Defensively, rebounding, running the floor. He always talks about the little things, and I just put it in my head to take care of the little things and let everything else take care of itself."

Graves has been in and out of Williams' doghouse this season, but it's nothing compared to last year when the coach suspended him for reasons never disclosed. Graves continued to practice and travel with the team, but didn't play in the final 18 games of the season.

"I'm very happy to just be here in this position after last year," Graves said. "Starting or not starting, I'm very appreciative just to put this uniform on. ... So whether starting or coming off the bench, any way I can be a part of the team and make an impact, I'm willing to do it."

Shaquille Johnson scored 16 points to lead Marshall, which hustled its way to a 27-27 tie with 4:42 left in the first half.

Leading 31-29, Carolina outscored the Thundering Herd 13-6 to close the first half. But even that was sloppy: Marshall's three baskets were tip-ins, and Graves' key 3-pointer was a broken play.

"We actually had very poor execution on the last play," Williams said. " ... We all just stood there, threw the ball to Will and he made the shot. That's the crazy thing about basketball. But when shots go in, everything looks a whole lot better."

And when shots go in, the door to the doghouse swings out instead of in.

NOTES: With 15:23 left in the second half, and Larry Drew at the foul line shooting two free throws, a voice rang out from behind press row: "Don't miss!" — an obvious reference to Presbyterian fan Brian King, who irked Roy Williams by yelling the same thing at Deon Thompson at Carolina's last home game. King was escorted out. This time, the fan drew nervous laughter. ... Marshall's Hassan Whiteside, a 7-foot freshman from Gastonia, came into the game third in the nation with 53 blocked shots, an average of 5.3 per game. Whiteside came off the bench last week against Brescia and had the first triple-double in Marshall's history: 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 blocks. He had seven points and three blocks against Carolina. ... Marshall scored 99 or more points in four of its five games leading up to Tuesday's matchup. ... Marshall's 9-2 start is the best since 2000-01, when the Herd started 9-1 and finished 18-9.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com

MARSHALL (9-2) — Wilkerson 6-11 0-0 12, Whiteside 3-8 1-2 7, Johnson 7-14 0-0 16, Lutz 0-4 0-0 0, Pitts 1-7 0-0 3, Pena 3-12 0-0 6, Baines 1-7 0-0 2, Haymon 4-6 0-0 8, Merthie 0-2 0-0 0, Spikes 2-5 0-2 4, Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Hordyski 1-1 0-0 3, Fischer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-78 1-4 61.

NORTH CAROLINA (9-3) — D.Wear 0-1 2-2 2, Thompson 6-13 2-2 14, Davis 7-14 5-6 19, Ginyard 5-10 2-2 14, Drew II 0-4 4-4 4, Strickland 1-5 0-0 2, Graves 4-6 2-4 13, Zeller 7-10 4-6 18, McDonald 0-1 0-0 0, Henson 1-1 2-2 5, T.Wear 2-3 0-0 5, Watts 0-1 0-0 0, Campbell 0-0 0-0 0, Petree 1-1 0-0 2, Thornton 0-1 0-0 0, Gallagher 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 34-71 23-29 98.

Halftime—North Carolina 44-35.
3-point goals—Marshall 4-18 (Johnson 2-6, Hordyski 1-1, Pitts 1-5, Wilkerson 0-1, Fischer 0-1, Lutz 0-2, Pena 0-2), North Carolina 7-11 (Graves 3-3, Ginyard 2-4, Henson 1-1, T.Wear 1-1, McDonald 0-1, Thornton 0-1).
Fouled out—Spikes.
Rebounds—Marshall 34 (Spikes 7), North Carolina 53 (Davis, Graves 10).
Assists—Marshall 11 (Pitts 5), North Carolina 22 (Drew II 6).
Total fouls—Marshall 21, North Carolina 9.
A—18,842.