Virginia held N.C. State scoreless over the last two minutes, 56 seconds, and Wolfpack forward Julius Hodge saw a last-second three-pointer rim out as the Cavaliers stayed undefeated at home with a 61-58 win.
Coming off an upset 86-78 victory over eighth-ranked Maryland, the Cavaliers (14-7, 5-4 ACC) rallied from a nine-point second half deficit thanks to a strong defensive effort.
On the game's final possession, N.C. State junior forward Marcus Melvin missed a three-pointer from the right wing, but Hodge grabbed the rebound. After a timeout, Virginia kept the Wolfpack from getting an open look, and Hodge's running three went in-and-out.
"We really didn't get what we wanted" on the last play, N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said. "It was a tough shot and Virginia did a good job defending us. The defender was draped on Julius, and he was a little bit off-balance. It certainly wasn't an open look."
Virginia focused on Hodge and was willing to give up a foul, but none of the Cavaliers committed the foul Virginia coach Pete Gillen wanted, Gillen said.
"We just wanted to guard him," Gillen said. "We didn't want to let him hit a three to tie, and he almost did."
The Wolfpack (12-7, 5-4) had come out strong in the second half, stretching a one-point edge into a 45-36 advantage with just under 14 minutes left.
But much like the victory over Maryland, when Virginia held the Terps without a field goal for nine minutes, the Cavalier defense clamped down. The Wolfpack mustered just two points in the final 5:46, as Virginia closed the game on a 22-10 run.
"Our defense was very good against a very good offensive team," Gillen said. "They're a tough team to play. Our offensive execution wasn't very good, but our defense was good enough to win. It was one of our best victories of the year."
Down four, sophomore guard Jermaine Harper hit a three-pointer from the left corner to close it to one. The teams traded baskets before Virginia senior forward Travis Watson and freshman forward Derrick Byars each hit two free throws -- the former gave Virginia the lead and the latter extended the lead to 61-58 with 1:56 left.
"Free throws win games, and we made some big ones down the stretch," Gillen said.
On the ensuing possession, Hodge drove to the basket for a layup, but collided with Watson, and the call went against Hodge. Neither team was able to score from that point on.
Watson finished with his 11th double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He struggled early, committing three of a season-high seven turnovers in the first 3:49 of the game. The 14 rebounds give him 1,005 on his career.
"We battled Watson," Sendek said. "He's a terrific player. He averages a double-double so that shows you what he's capable of."
Sophomore Elton Brown was the only other Virginia player in double figures, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the first half.
Junior guard Todd Billet finished with eight points, seven assists and no turnovers but did miss all six three-point attempts.
Billet was averaging 17.8 points in ACC play but has had to switch to point guard with the suspension of sophomore guard Keith Jenifer, taking on more ball-handling duties and relinquishing some of his scoring role.
After shooting 12-of-22 from behind the arc against Maryland, Virginia was cold yesterday, shooting only 4-of-17.
"We were aware of their hot shooting," Sendek said. "I thought we did a great job on Billet."
Hodge led N.C. State with 15 points, but Virginia sophomore forward Jason Clark forced the ACC's second-leading scorer into six turnovers.
Jason "really frustrated Hodge," Brown said. "He just stayed on. He played aggressive defense on him, and he just locked him up."
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