RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jakia Brown-Turner scored a career-high 25 points and fourth-ranked North Carolina State avenged a loss earlier this month by beating rival North Carolina 82-63 on Sunday.
Elissa Cunane added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Wolfpack (15-2, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led by double figures much of the way.
The Tar Heels (11-9, 6-9) got no closer than eight after halftime and spent the entire afternoon trying to climb back after a cold-shooting first half.
The Tar Heels had beaten the Wolfpack 76-69 at home exactly two weeks earlier, marking the third straight season they had toppled a Wolfpack team ranked in the top 10. They defied their persistent struggles from behind the arc in that one by hitting a season-high 11 3-pointers.
This time, though, the Tar Heels missed their first 16 3-pointers until Petra Holesinska finally connected on one late in the third quarter.
Freshman Deja Kelly scored 14 points to lead the Tar Heels, who shot just 35% and made 5 of 24 3s on the afternoon.
N.C. State wore pink uniforms for the 16th annual Play4Kay Game, continuing a tradition started by late Wolfpack coach Kay Yow to use a home game to raise awareness and money to fight women's cancers.
BIG PICTURE
UNC: The Tar Heels have helped their NCAA Tournament chances in February. The first-meeting upset win was the first of three straight league victories, which had pulled UNC out of a downward trajectory that had seen it lose six of seven. The Tar Heels had a chance at their first regular-season sweep of the Wolfpack since the 2014-15 season, but never threatened a repeat upset.
N.C. State: Aside from Brown-Turner and Cunane, Kayla Jones added 20 points, including 11 in a 29-point third quarter — ending with her muscling up a shot in the lane before the horn — that helped the Wolfpack stretch out a 10-point halftime lead. It's offered a reminder of N.C. State's multiple offensive options with the potential for big outputs at any time.
UP NEXT
UNC: The Tar Heels play Thursday against Georgia Tech in their final scheduled home game.
N.C. State: Pittsburgh visits the Wolfpack on Thursday in N.C. State's last remaining scheduled home game.
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