In the packed PNC Arena, with the crowd decked out in red and white, the No. 3 Virginia survived an overtime battle against No. 23 N.C. State, 66-65. The overtime contest ended only after a clutch 3-pointer from Kyle Guy with two minutes left, two free throws from De'Andre Hunter and a big missed free throw from N.C. State.
RANKINGS: Andy Katz's Power 36 | NET Top 25 | AP Poll
The Wolfpack battled the Cavaliers for two full halves, outscoring Virginia 32-28 in the second half and forcing 16 turnovers, doubling N.C. State's eight. As the momentum shifted to the Pack, the last five minutes of the second half turned into a battle. North Carolina State went from down by 8 to down by 3 in just the last two minutes, as the clock continued to wind down.
FINAL: No. 3 Virginia holds on to win 66-65 in overtime at No. 23 NC State! 🔶⚔️🔷 #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/LXXnGIHNLR
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) January 30, 2019
A free throw from N.C. State tied the game at 53, and then Braxton Key came up for Virginia with a tip shot to give his team the go-ahead two. Two free throws from State's Markell Johnson sent the game into overtime.
N.C. State moved across the floor with confidence, but the Wolfpack couldn't match the power of the Cavs. With about two minutes left, the score 61-61 and a second overtime a real possibility, Guy stepped up. Guy's 3-pointer gave his team the fire it needed, and Virginia, a team that struggled at times against the No. 23 Wolfpack, held on, as N.C. State made only two of three free throws with a chance to tie. The Cavs will play Miami at home at Saturday before welcoming No. 2 Duke to Charlottesville for a top-5 ACC battle the following weekend.
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