Unsung hero of the night Theo Pinson put the nail in the coffin with a slam dunk in the final seconds as No. 21 North Carolina beat No. 9 Duke 82-78 in the 247th edition of the Tobacco Road Rivalry game at the Dean Smith Center Thursday night.
Pinson was relatively quiet on the scoring sheet — only four points — but came up big with momentum shifting plays that kept UNC in contention all night. Kenny Williams also had a big night, leading the Tar Heels with a career-high six 3-pointers for 20 points, while Joel Berry III found his rhythm inside the arc and finished with 21 points.
UNC's defense held Duke to only 29 second half points after trailing by four at the end of a high-scoring first half. The Blue Devils have now lost two in a row, following a loss to St. John's on Saturday, and three of their last four games.
Duke will get another shot at the Tar Heels on March 3 in Durham.
RELATED: Box score
Relive the play-by-play moments from Thursday night's Tobacco Road Rivalry here:
