Field Level Media
Jan 27, 2020
Garrison Brooks scored 25 points as visiting North Carolina knocked off rival North Carolina State 75-65 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Monday night in Raleigh.
North Carolina built an 11-point, second-half lead and fended off several rallies in a hostile environment.
Armando Bacot's 11 points and 11 rebounds, Brandon Robinson's 11 points and Leaky Black's 11 points boosted the Tar Heels (10-10, 3-6 ACC), who have won consecutive games for only the second time since November. This time they did so across a three-day span after snapping a five-game losing streak by thumping Miami on Saturday.
North Carolina won for the first time in four ACC road outings.
DJ Funderburk scored 18 points, Devon Daniels 17, Markell Johnson 12 and Jericole Hellems 10 for NC State (14-7, 5-5).
North Carolina led 63-52 with less than nine minutes to play. It was 69-61 when North Carolina was called for a shot-clock violation at the 4:08 mark.
However, the Tar Heels got a defensive stop, and Andrew Platek scored in transition to re-establish a 10-point gap. North Carolina held on despite missing the front end of one-and-ones three times and five consecutive foul shots overall.
Brooks, who also grabbed 11 rebounds, scored at least 25 points for the third time in the past seven games.
North Carolina coach Roy Williams improved to 31-4 all-time in games against the Wolfpack.
NC State has lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Wolfpack had center Manny Bates back in action after he missed two games upon entering the concussion protocol. He played 16 scoreless minutes.
North Carolina scored the last four points of the first half, all in the final six seconds, to snatch a 39-35 halftime lead. The Tar Heels shot 53.3 percent in the first half, 49.1 percent overall. The Wolfpack hit 42.4 percent from the floor for the night.
NC State scored the game's first seven points, and North Carolina later led 30-25 for the largest first-half edges for each team. Hellems had eight points in the first 4 1/2 minutes.
--Field Level Media