ST. LOUIS (AP) – With 20 seconds left, Luther Head darted to the right side and waited for someone to get him the ball. When he got it, he quickly put up a 3-pointer.

But like so many other shots the Illini took, it missed. Badly.

Forced to try a title game-record 40 3-pointers after falling behind in the first half, Illinois couldn’t quite find its rhythm in time. The Illini hit just 12 from long range in their 75-70 loss to North Carolina on Monday night. There would be no comeback like the one they made against Arizona, only a disappointing end to what had been a special season.

Head had 21 points, but was just 8-of-21 from the floor. Deron Williams added 17, but his shooting wasn’t much better, going 7-of-16.

Illinois (37-2) couldn’t get anything going inside in the first half, so it looked to its guards to get something going on the outside. But after being so steady and poised all year, the Illini seemed flustered. They were putting up shots with abandon, looking as though they were in a Saturday morning rec game than the national championship.

They took 19 3s in the first half, three shy of their regular-season average for an entire game. They made only five of them, and their 27 percent shooting overall was their worst in any half this season as they fell behind 40-27.

When James Augustine picked up his third and fourth foul in a five-second span about a minute into the second half, the Illini looked as if they were done. Jackie Manuel made a pair of free throws on the second foul, giving the Tar Heels a 44-29 lead – their largest of the game.

With Augustine on the bench and Roger Powell Jr. not getting much inside, Illinois had little choice but to go outside again.

But the Illini finally found their mark. Dee Brown made a 3-pointer to spark a 19-7 run, and all but four points in the spurt came on 3s.

Head made a 3 with 2:39 left, tying the game at 70. But the Illini slumped again, rushing their shots. Williams and Head combined to miss four 3s in the final two minutes, including Head’s airball with 20 seconds left.

AP-ES-04-04-05 2349EDT