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Felton Leads No. 2 North Carolina Past N.C. State, 81-71
February 22, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2005
By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - All Melvin Scott needed was a chance.
Stuck on the bench lately in a horrid shooting slump, the senior guard replaced the ill Rashad McCants in the starting lineup and scored 12 points to lead No. 2 North Carolina past North Carolina State 81-71 on Tuesday night.
Raymond Felton had 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Tar Heels (23-3, 11-2), who extended their lead in the Atlantic Coast Conference to a full game over No. 6 Wake Forest. Jawad Williams added 15 points for North Carolina and Sean May and freshman Marvin Williams each scored 14.
McCants didn't even make the 25-mile trip because of an intestinal disorder, giving Scott his second start of the year. He had scored only 10 points in his previous four games and was 0-for-8 from 3-point range in that span. Even worse, as one of only three links to the Matt Doherty era, Scott saw his playing diminish, too.
None of that was a problem against the Wolfpack (15-11, 5-8). Scott finished 4-of-8 on 3s, including two on each side of halftime to give North Carolina a commanding lead. Perhaps inspired by his performance, Scott's teammates also found the range from beyond the arc, finishing 10-of-21.
With N.C. State creeping closer in the second half, the Tar Heels made the most of three second-chance opportunities, turning each into 3-pointers to pull away.
May rebounded a miss by Felton, then threw a pass back outside, where Felton was stationed behind the line. He swished his jumper to make it 56-50, and after Ilian Evtimov missed a 3 on the other end, Jawad Williams used a screen from Jackie Manuel to get free for an open look from the corner.
Finally, when Scott had one of his rare misses, Felton added another 3-pointer for a 12-point lead. N.C. State got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Julius Hodge had 20 points on a season-high four 3s for the Wolfpack, who had a modest two-game winning streak snapped. Any hopes of a fourth straight trip to the NCAA tournament likely requires victories in their final three games, including a matchup against Wake Forest to end the season.
N.C. State fell behind 49-39 early in the second half before rallying behind freshman Andrew Brackman. He had all eight of his points in a span of about 60 seconds, including a 3-pointer. He capped his personal run by converting a three-point play on a foul by Jawad Williams, and the Wolfpack was within three.
Felton then took advantage of an extra opportunity for his 3, and the Tar Heels hung on.
Engin Atsur had 14 points for N.C. State.
