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Colleges

Late UNC run gives Heels 76-65 win over NC State

By The Sports Network

Feb 23, 2013

Chapel Hill, N.C. — FINAL: UNC 76, NC State 65:

A 24-8 run to close out the game gave the Tar Heels the 76-65 win over NC State

4:56 2nd: UNC 65, NC State 57:

Marcus Paige hit a three-pointer to give the Tar Heels back the lead with seven minutes to go in the game.Paige's three came amidst a 13-2 Tar Heel run.

7:42 2nd: NC State 55, UNC 52:

North Carolina brought it back to even at 49 all but a Richard Howell and TJ Warren pushed the Pack back ahead. With 7:42 to go in the game the Wolfpack have a three-point lead.

11:37 2nd: NC State 49, UNC 45:

Two back-to-back Scott Wood three pointers gave NC State their largest lead of the second half, 49-45.

15:45 2nd: UNC 40, NC State 37:

North Carolina came out of the break with two quick scores to give them their largest lead at 38-28 before Lorenzo Brown headed to the line for two free throws. In a matter of minutes the ten-point lead dwindled to three. At the first media timeout UNC has a 40-37 lead over the Wolfpack.

Halftime: UNC 34, NC State 28

James Michael McAdoo capped off the first half of play with a put back giving the Heels the 34-28 halftime lead. NC State's 13 turnovers have cost them as UNC has only committed four in the first half. Richard Howell is dominating the boards with 14, far ahead of anyone else in the game, but he only has converted seven points.

4:06 1st: UNC 30, NC State 23

PJ Hairston drops a deep three ball to give the Heels the 26-23 lead over NC State with 4:39 to go in the first half. The three is quickly followed by a James Michael McAdoo break-a-way dunk and another Hairston layup to give the Heels their largest lead of the game at 30-23.

7:20 1st: NC State 21, UNC 21

The pace has continued to stay quick as both teams are pushing it to the basket. So far neither side has been able to establish themselves in their game. Scott Wood is leading the Wolfpack with eight points, Dexter Strickland and Reggie Bullock each have six to lead the Tar Heels.

15:45 1st: NC State 10, UNC 7

NC State is 5-for-6 from the field to start the game led by four points from Richard Howell and the Wolfpack have an early lead on UNC at the first media timeout.

UNC has four early points from Dexter Strickland and a three from PJ Hairston.

20:00 1st NC State at UNC

NC State started with their same line up from the Florida Srate game of Howell, Brown, Wood, Warren and Leslie. UNC countered by staying small but adding McAdoo. They will throw out Strickland, Hairston Bullock and Paige with him.

Pregame

The North Carolina Tar Heels will be looking for a bit of redemption Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. when in-state rival North Carolina State makes the trip to the Dean E. Smith Center for a pivotal ACC showdown. 

North Carolina leads the all-time series, 147-76, but it is NC State seeking the regular-season sweep after earning a 91-83 shootout win in Raleigh back on Jan. 26. Still, the Tar Heels have won 13 of the last 14 meetings.

Mark Gottfried's Wolfpack were considered one of the favorites to win the ACC crown this season, but while the talented squad showed flashes of brilliant play this season, consistency has been the main issue.

More Info     Inside the Rivalry: NCSU vs. UNC Basketball

NC State comes into this contest with an impressive 19-7 overall mark, but conference play has proved to be more challenging, with the Wolfpack sitting at 8-5. NC State does come into this game with some momentum however, with three straight wins, including an 84-66 rout of Florida State earlier in the week.

Roy Williams' Tar Heels weren't regarded as a real conference contender at the season's start and they haven't dispelled that notion, as UNC comes in with a solid 18-8 mark, including matching NC State in-conference at 8-5. The Tar Heels have won two straight games, knocking off Virginia (93-81) and Georgia Tech (70-58) in the last week.

The Wolfpack are one of the nation's top offensive teams, coming into the weekend, averaging an impressive 78.7 points per game and doing so on nearly 50 percent shooting from the floor.. The scoring pool is deep with five players currently averaging double figures, led by C.J. Leslie's 15.7 ppg.

Leslie, who is shooting 54 percent from the floor, is also a big contributor on the boards, where he pulls down 7.7 rpg. Richard Howell gives the team a formidable low post threat, averaging a double-double with 13.0 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

Point guard Lorenzo Brown is both a potent scorer (12.7 ppg) and deft distributor (6.8 apg). Other players of note include sixth-man extraordinaire T.J. Warren (12.2 ppg) and sharpshooter Scott Wood (11.9 ppg).

Warren, a 6-foot-8 freshman, erupted for a career-high 31 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Florida State, his first career double-double. Leslie recorded a double-double as well with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Wood added 13 points to the cause, while Brown finished with nine points and nine assists. NC State shot .458 from the floor in the game and dominated the play on the glass, outrebounding the Seminoles, 45-21.

The Tar Heels won't shy away from running with the Wolfpack, as they are equally suited to win a shootout. UNC is shooting a modest 44 percent from the floor, but is netting an impressive 78.2 ppg.

Sophomore James Michael McAdoo has not quite lived up to the lofty praise lavished on him at the season's start, but he does lead North Carolina in both scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg). Reggie Bullock (13.8 ppg) and P.J. Hairston (13.3 ppg) give the team a couple of perimeter players that can get hot from long range.

The pair have combined for 118 of the team's 188 3-pointers to date. Dexter Strickland (7.7 ppg) and Marcus Paige (7.4 ppg) don't add much in terms of scoring, but they have both shouldered the burden of running the offense, with each going over the century mark in assists.

McAdoo broke out of a three-game slump, as he recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the team's big road win at Georgia Tech. Leslie McDonald poured in 15 points, thanks in large part to his 4-of-6 showing from behind the arc. Hairston checked in with 10 points, while Bullock finished with nine points and seven boards. North Carolina didn't shoot the ball particularly well in the game (.379), but the team did force 19 turnovers, while committing just nine.

NC State is a dangerous team, but has really struggled on the road this year (2-5). The first meeting proved to be highly entertaining and little should change this time around, except for perhaps the outcome.