University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
No Carolina St
UNC Falls To NC State, 98-76
February 24, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2002
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Leave it to Anthony Grundy and Archie Miller to give North Carolina State its first 20-win regular season in 13 years.
Grundy scored 28 points and Miller added 18 as the seniors, playing in their last home game, helped the Wolfpack to a 98-76 victory over North Carolina on Sunday night.
The win moved N.C. State (20-8, 9-6) into third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, one-half game ahead of Wake Forest. Those two teams meet Saturday in Winston-Salem.
The victory also gave the program its first 20-win regular season since the late Jim Valvano did it in 1988-89 and only the second season sweep of the Tar Heels (7-18, 3-11) since 1974.
But it didn't come easy against a team that had won just twice since the first of the year.
The Wolfpack trailed by as many as 12 in the first half before Miller and Grundy keyed a 20-5 run to start the second period. Miller had a four-point play, a 3-pointer and two free throws in the run, while Grundy had a pair of layups as N.C. State went up 56-51 with 15:38 left.
But, less than two minutes later, Miller committed two fouls within 24 seconds and went to the bench with his fourth.
That allowed the Tar Heels back in the game as Kris Lang had a layup, a three-point play and a shot in the lane in a span of three minutes as North Carolina grabbed a 68-66 lead with 8:34 left.
The Wolfpack then scored on eight straight possessions to grab an 83-73 lead with Miller still on the bench.
Marcus Melvin, who added 18, and Julius Hodge were key in the late Wolfpack run. Melvin had a 3-pointer and two free throws, while Hodge added a three-point play and three more free throws.
A pair of free throws by Grundy with 3:53 left gave N.C. State a 12-point cushion and North Carolina never got close as the Wolfpack notched its highest point total of the season.
Lang led the Tar Heels with 19 points, while Adam Boone and Jason Capel added 17 each.
Lang scored 11 of North Carolina's opening 18 points and Boone added nine straight over a span of 1:20 later in the half as the Tar Heels never trailed in the opening 20 minutes.
The Wolfpack had a poor offensive period, going 4-for-14 from beyond the arc while managing just one 3-pointer and five free throws over the final 6:13 to trail 46-36 at the break.
The last time the Tar Heels had a double-digit lead at halftime was Dec. 30 against Texas A&M, a game they won 96-62.
