James, Rivers help No. 5 N.C. State hold off No. 24 North Carolina 63-59 in rivalry game

RALEIGH, N.C. -- — No. 5 North Carolina State and No. 24 North Carolina spent the final minutes of a tight rivalry game struggling to make much of anything.

“I'll have to say, it's an ugly baby, but it's our baby," Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. "At least we found a way to win.”

Aziaha James scored eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter and N.C. State held UNC scoreless for the final 3 1/2 minutes in a 63-59 win on Thursday night. That win came despite the Wolfpack going the last five-plus minutes without a basket.

“Whether we're scoring or not, we trust that our defense ... can win us a game," said Saniya Rivers, who had 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Wolfpack.

Mimi Collins added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Wolfpack (19-2, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who used a 9-0 burst in the fourth to go ahead for good. Then, N.C. State's defense came up big late, holding the Tar Heels without a point on their final seven possessions to keep tenuous control of a tight rivalry game.

Deja Kelly scored 21 points to lead the Tar Heels (15-7, 7-3), including 15 points in a third-quarter performance she viewed as “takeover time.” And UNC was within range when freshman Reniya Kelly knocked down a clean look at a 3-pointer to bring UNC to within 62-59 at the 3:45 mark.

But that marked the Tar Heels' last score, starting a final stretch that included Rivers getting a steal with 26.1 seconds left on a turnover-forcing jump ball and Lexi Donarski committing an offensive foul on a screen with 12.5 seconds left.

Rivers hit a key free throw with 7.7 seconds left to make it a two-possession game as N.C. State held on.

“There were a lot of good looks — we had three in a row that I liked,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said, adding: “When they're toward the end in a possession game, it hurt a little bit more.”

BIG PICTURE

UNC: The Tar Heels had been atop the ACC at 7-1 before last weekend's stumble at Virginia. They were within reach of beating a nearby rival in front of a boisterous and hostile crowd, but shot just 41.7%.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack's three straight wins included road romps against Clemson and Boston College. N.C. State remained unbeaten at home despite shooting just 39.3%, including 3 of 16 from 3-point range.

JAMES' BOUNCEBACK

James, the Wolfpack’s top scorer at 15.5 points per game, picked up two quick fouls to earn a lengthy first-half stay on the bench. She had just one basket in the first 30 minutes, but scored on two drives and a stick-back during the Wolfpack's 9-0 burst.

“I'm proud of her for keeping her confidence,” Moore said. “Probably in the past, she maybe would hang her head a little bit and get down.”

UP NEXT

UNC: The Tar Heels face another test Sunday by hosting 17th-ranked and reigning ACC champion Virginia Tech.

N.C. State: No. 16 Louisville visits the Wolfpack on Monday for N.C. State's 19th annual “Play4Kay” game, named in honor of late Wolfpack Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow to raise money for cancer research and honor cancer survivors. Yow died in January 2009 after a lengthy cancer fight.

------

Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here

------

AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball