Paige logged 36 minutes, his most of the season, on a night where he was still dealing with his plantar fasciitis issue and the fact that the Heels were limited on the bench by Joel Berry II's absence due to a groin injury. But, the heart of this southpaw would not let the pain deter him as he continued his spectacular play against the Wolfpack.
"Sometimes when people go down, you gotta step up," said Paige after the game. "I really didn't want to come out in the second half. And I felt good despite my foot and stuff. I just wanted to play through it."
And, boy, did the Carolina Captain play!!
Marcus calmly drained five of five threes, with 15 of his 23 points coming in the second half. Another statistic that raises the eyebrows is his nine assists (another season-high) to zero turnovers. In his last two trips to the state's capital, Paige has tallied 58 points against NC State. You have to admit, Paige loves playing in Raleigh.
Coach Williams opened his post-game press conference by saying, "I love the Smith Center, but I think Marcus is ready for me to see if we can rent this place. He was sensational." Roy praised Paige stating, "He's just been so effective for us in every phase of the game. He's the leader out there...There's nothing in the game that he doesn't do very well."
Nate Britt sank the two biggest free throws with 3.1 seconds to go when the lead was at one and Paige tightened the Tar Heel grip by making two free throws with one second left. Coach Williams installed an outstanding strategy in the final seconds with a three-point lead, choosing to foul the Pack before they had a chance to shoot the ball. This, in turn, kept Carolina just out of arms reach and helped hold the Tar Heel lead. NC State had one last chance at tying the game, though, as Abdul-Malik Abu was fouled on a full-court inbounds pass with 0.2 seconds remaining. Abu made the first free throw pulling State to within a basket of the lead. Abu intentionally missed the second and Carolina, as it had done all game, missed the box out and allowed freshman Cody Martin to get his fingers to the ball in the lane and attempt a tip-in. However, the ball faded left on the tip and the horn sounded giving Carolina its second road win in the conference so far this season.
Kennedy Meeks used his mighty frame downlow on the offensive end to carve out space in the paint en route to adding 15 points and 10 rebounds to the UNC win. Isaiah Hicks contributed a season-high impressive performance of 12 points and Brice Johnson netted 10 before he fouled out with just over five minutes to play. Carolina's offensive prowess in the paint was another huge reason the Heels walked off the court victors Wednesday night. With Meeks' strong, aggressive moves and Johnson and Hicks quick cuts to the rim, UNC ruled the rim on offense, outscoring the Wolfpack in the paint 38-24. Carolina post players managed to balance out the Tar Heel offensive attack to where the "inside out" gameplan worked terrifically.
When asked if this was the best "inside out" performance to date by the Heels, Coach Williams responded, "I have a tough time remembering what I had for breakfast today right now. I'd have to evaluate that on film, but you shoot 56 percent and you ought to feel pretty good."
Backed by Paige's superstar performance and post play dominance, the Heels were superbly efficient shooting the rock. Carolina shot 55.6% for the game (30 for 54) and was over 50% in both halves for only the second time this season (vs. ECU the other). The Heels scorched the nets in the first half shooting a blistering 58.3% from the floor, it's best output in a half so far this year, but only held a six-point advantage going into the break. NC State had used extra effort, determination, and willpower to stay in this game during the first half. The Wolfpack weren't making shots, but they sure were rebounding those misses. NC State shot 11 for 33 (33%) in the first half but, time and time again, would grab the offensive board due to Carolina's inability to box out.State's leading scorer. On one possession, State had five offensive rebounds to continue its possession which finally led to a basket. In the game, State outrebounded the Heels 37-33 but it was on the offensive glass that State showed its grittiness beating the Heels 18-9 in that category. Moving forward, Carolina must give more attention to its positioning for defensive rebounds, use fundamentals, and box out the offensive players who are attacking the rim. Too many times, NC State kept a possession alive for a score when Carolina could have boxed out and secured a defensive rebound that would have probably given the Heels a larger lead at the half and end of the game.
One thing that worked wonders for the Heels was the defensive effort J.P. Tokoto put on State's leading scorer, Trevor Lacey. Tokoto hawked Lacey on every single Wolfpack possession, seriously unnerving Lacey into a pretty awful first half of only two points. Yes, Lacey was able to find his way to the foul line late in the game and was a perfect 10 for 10. However, from the field (where Lacey has been hot lately), the State sharpshooter was only able to make 4 of 13 from the field and just 1 for 6 from 3-point land. Credit Tokoto for using his height, length, and quickness to stay in front of Lacey and harass him throughout the contest. Carolina also exhibited tremendous defense on State's point guard, Anthony "Cat" Barber, not allowing the speedster to dribble penetrate as he has often done to opponents this season. Barber finished with just five points (well below his double-digit average) and four turnovers. With Lacey's offense stymied, State looked to Ralston Turner for its point production. Turner finished with 20 points on 7 of 17 shooting (5 of 14 from 3). The swingman started hot for the Pack, having a decent first half with eight points. But, his foul trouble would land him on the State bench and, in effect, give UNC an advantage on the floor that ticked the Carolina lead to double-digits deep into the second half.
With Turner off the floor midway through the second half and Lacey struggling from the field, State went inside and had a couple of bad turnovers that immediately turned into two baskets and two free throws (the old-school 3-point plays) that pushed a six-point lead to 12, just like that.
J.P. Tokoto Steals, Goes Coast-to-Coast for the And-1 vs. NC State
The margin of score stayed pretty consistent from there as both teams traded baskets back and forth up until the 4-minute mark when State found its rhythm. By this time, Turner had returned to the court and fueled the fire for the Wolfpack when he splashed a three from the corner and was fouled (he converted the free throw for the four-point play). Sophomore Kyle Washington also contributed points from the outside and in the paint. Washington finished with 17 points, hitting left-handed hooks, jumpshots, and even one from deep. His energy permeated throughout the team and the PNC Arena, bringing State fans to their feet in a frenzy. State's level of play from its stars turned up another notch and the Wolfpack seemed poised for the comeback win.
But, Carolina, would have none of that on this night as the Heels withstood the pressure and coolly made its very important free throws down the stretch.
This was Carolina's 17th win in 18 contests over NC State in this long-storied rivalry. UNC is 12-4 when playing the Pack in the PNC Arena and has dominated the series over the last four decades going 58-20 since 1980.
Official Box Score: UNC 81 - NC State 79
Next Game: #15 North Carolina (13-4, 3-1 ACC)
vs
Virginia Tech Hokies (8-8, 0-3 ACC)
Date/Time: Sunday, January 18, 2015 @ 6:30pm EST
Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio: ESPNU / Tar Heel Sports Network
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