MENS BASKETBALL

North Carolina 79, North Carolina State 70

BOB SUTTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Harrison Ingram scored a season-high 22 points as No. 9 North Carolina rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half and beat North Carolina State 79-70.

Elliot Cadeau scored 15 points and RJ Davis, who put up a Smith Center-record 42 points Monday night against Miami, finished with 14 after being held to two in the first half. Armando Bacot added 13 points for North Carolina (23-6, 15-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), which won its fourth straight game and maintained its hold on first place in the conference, ahead of Duke.

Jayden Taylor hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and DJ Horne scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half for N.C. State (17-12, 9-9), which lost for the third time in four games.

The Wolfpack was within 73-68 before Davis hit a pair of free throws and a jumper with less than two minutes remaining.

The Tar Heels trailed 47-37 early in the second half before putting together a nine-point run — a strong stretch that included one possession without points when Bacot missed on an attempted dunk. During the run, there was also a post-whistle standoff between the teams, with officials separating angry players but not assessing additional penalties after a video review.

N.C. State center D.J. Burns Jr. picked up his fourth foul with 11:28 remaining. Less than two minutes later, teammate Casey Morsell had four fouls and then fouled out with 7:41 left.

N.C. State led 45-37 at halftime, buoyed by 57.6% shooting from the floor. That included going 7 for 11 from 3-point distance.

TIP-INS

Ingram, a transfer from Stanford in his first season with the Tar Heels, scored his career high of 24 points last season against Mississippi. … Taylor matched his second-highest point total of the season after his 24 points Tuesday at Florida State marked a season best.

BIG PICTURE

N.C. State: The Wolfpack looked sharp in the first half, largely because perimeter shooting kept the Tar Heels off balance. Already likely needing a strong showing in the ACC tournament to move onto the NCAA Tournament bubble, this game was a chance to make an impression. Instead, N.C. State dropped to 0-3 versus ranked opponents. The Wolfpack fell to 4-6 in true road games.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels have won the first two games of a three-game homestand without dominating a pair of unranked opponents. But going from 10 points down to 10 points ahead in a span of less than 10 minutes was an example of the firepower North Carolina can display.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

North Carolina athletics press release

March 2, 2024