Townsend's free throws help No. 12 Tar Heels edge No. 10 Wolfpack 66-65
Townsend's free throws help No. 12 Tar Heels edge No. 10 Wolfpack 66-65
CHEL HILL, N.C. — Grace Townsend made two go-ahead free throws with 5.2 seconds left and No. 12 North Carolina came up with a final-play stop to edge No. 10 N.C. State 66-65 on Sunday.
The graduate transfer from Richmond entered the rivalry game shooting 63.2% from the line this year, but calmly made both in the clutch for the Tar Heels .
The Wolfpack had one try for the win coming out of a timeout, but Aziaha James couldn't turn the baseline corner against Reniya Kelly and Maria Gakdeng before losing the ball out of bounds as the horn sounded. That sent UNC players spilling onto the court to celebrate in front of a sellout crowd, a win earned despite losing leading scorer and rebounder Alyssa Ustby in the opening minutes.
Kelly had 23 points to lead the Tar Heels, while James had all 16 of her points after halftime to lead the Wolfpack.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack's surge had included winning 16 of 17 since November.
UNC: The Tar Heels had won nine of 10 to earn their highest Top 25 ranking of the season.
Kelly and Donarski came up with two huge shots for the Tar Heels after the Wolfpack had rallied from 10 down to lead 60-54 in the fourth. Donarski struck with a 3-pointer from the left wing at the 2:17 mark, then Kelly followed with another with 1:39 left that kept UNC within 63-60 before closing with the game's last six points.
UNC survived despite being outrebounded 55-35, including 18-8 on the offensive glass that led to an 18-2 edge in second-chance points for N.C. State.
Both teams have road games Thursday, with the Wolfpack visiting Georgia Tech and the Tar Heels traveling to Syracuse.
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