North Carolina led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but wound up coming just a few inches away from being taken to overtime by rival NC State.
North Carolina vs. NC State final score: Tar Heels survive late Wolfpack rally
The final 32 seconds of this game took 15 minutes to play ... and then the two teams nearly had play five minutes more.
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Tar Heels, who never trailed in the second half, led by as many as five in the game’s final minute before a back-and-forth battle of free-throws began. UNC had seemingly put the game away for good when Marcus Paige’s two free-throws with just over a second to go made the score 81-78. Then, after a length of the court baseball pass, Isaiah Hicks inexplicably reached in and fouled NC State’s Abdul-Malik Abu on a shot from inside the arc, keeping State’s hopes alive.
Abu calmly sunk the first free-throw, and then missed the second one in a manner that gave teammate Cody Martin an opportunity to send the game into OT.
Crazy close RT @joeovies: Almost. https://t.co/1rGszmoblG
— Ben Swain (@TheBenSwain) January 15, 2015 Marcus Paige led North Carolina with 23 points, while Ralston Turner dropped 20 for the Wolfpack.
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