T.J. Warren led all scorers with 36 points, but Marcus Paige's 35 was enough for North Carolina to escape NC State with an 85-84 overtime win.Warren's two free throws with two seconds left in regulation tied the game at 71, and he scored nine points in the extra session, but a missed free throw opened the door for the Tar Hells and Paige walked through it, scoring a layup with four seconds to go for the final, one-point edge.
Paige made a pair of three-pointers in OT and had 10 of North Carolina's 14 points in the extra session on his career-high night, going 11-for-21 overall and 7-for-12 from beyond the arc. The sophomore sensation was 6-for-8 at the foul line, with six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.
North Carolina improved to 21-7 and 11-4 in the ACC, while the Wolfpack dropped to 7-8 n conference play and 17-11 overall. While the Tar Heels appear to be a lock for the NCAA tourney, NC State still may have some work to do in order to get a ticket to the big dance.
