North Carolina State 91, North Carolina 83
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State ran up a big lead and held off rival North Carolina, giving the Tar Heels a lesson in fast-break basketball Saturday night at PNC Arena and ending a painful stretch in the series.
Lorenzo Brown scored 20 points and freshman reserve T.J. Warren had 19 as the No. 18 Wolfpack toppled North Carolina 91-83 in the first meeting of the season between the Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.
The outcome halted a six-year stretch of frustration for N.C. State, which lost the previous 13 matchups to the Tar Heels.
North Carolina's three-game winning streak came to an abrupt conclusion. P.J. Hariston led the Tar Heels (13-6, 3-3) with 19 points and James Michael McAdoo had 13 points before fouling out.
C.J. Leslie added 17 points and Richard Howell posted 16 points for the Wolfpack, which lost two of its previous three games since knocking off top-ranked Duke. N.C. State was the ACC preseason favorite.
N.C. State's lead grew to 61-33 in the second half. Even a 20-7 run for North Carolina during the middle stages of the half failed to create much drama.
But back-to-back 3-pointers by Hairston and teammate Reggie Bullock closed the gap to 70-59, causing the Wolfpack to use a timeout with 5:43 remaining. Marcus Paige hit two free throws and the Tar Heels were within single digits with more than five minutes to play.
North Carolina made eight shots in a row from the field until Bullock missed a 3-point attempt that would have cut the deficit to eight. N.C. State's Scott Wood responded with a four-point play at the other end.
N.C. State improved to 12-0 at home this season.
The 13-game winning streak in the series was the Tar Heels' longest string of success against N.C. State.
N.C. State held a 45-26 lead at the half even though the Tar Heels scored the last four points before the break.
A string of baskets in transition catapulted the Wolfpack to a 42-20 lead. The 20-2 outburst sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
N.C. State held a 20-0 advantage in transition points by the half.
The Wolfpack built an 18-7 lead in barely more than six minutes.
North Carolina forward James Michael McAdoo was charged with his second foul less than two minutes into the game. North Carolina's starters had only nine first-half points, and McAdoo had four of those.
It took the Tar Heels almost 3 1/2 minutes before getting their first points. North Carolina's reserves scored nine of the team's opening 14 points.
Still, North Carolina used an 8-0 run to close within 22-18 before Rodney Purvis hit a 3-pointer to end the Wolfpack's five-minute scoring drought. That ignited an 8-0 run for N.C. State, with more to come in a rapid manner.
NOTES: The game marked the first meeting between the teams since Jan. 20, 1990, with N.C. State nationally ranked and North Carolina unranked. ... N.C. State wore red jerseys, which are normally used for road games. The Wolfpack wore alternate black jerseys for its previous home game against Clemson. ... North Carolina coach Roy Williams entered the game with 688 career coaching victories, trying to move out of a tie for 21st place with Rollie Massimino on the NCAA all-time list. ... ESPN College GameDay was at N.C. State for the first time for basketball. The show will be on hand for another North Carolina game when the Tar Heels play host to Duke on March 9 in Chapel Hill.
