RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help No. 19 North Carolina pull away late to beat North Carolina State 75-63 on Wednesday night.
Fellow freshman Kendall Marshall added 14 points for the Tar Heels (21-6, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who were in a tough fight against their nearby rival before Barnes got rolling. The freshman missed all six shots in the first half, including an airballed jumper that had the rowdy Wolfpack fans on his case.
But Barnes roared back in the second half, hitting a key jumper to ignite a clinching 17-7 run that sent the red-clad crowd heading for the exits. He also stuffed home a pair of misses from teammates in transition, then calmly buried a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and give North Carolina a 67-59 lead with 1:52 left.
C.J. Leslie had 13 points to lead N.C. State (14-13, 4-9), which lost to the Tar Heels for the 10th straight meeting.
