Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. ó Nic Wise drove the length of the court for a layup with one second remaining, and Arizona defeated N.C. State 76-74 late Wednesday night.
The Wildcats (6-5) blew an eight-point lead in the final 37 seconds as the Wolfpack made two 3-pointers and converted a three-point play.
After N.C. State’s Javier Gonzalez barreled into the lane to tie it at 74-74, Wise (17 points) weaved through a sea of red jerseys and laid the ball in.
Wise’s big play came two nights after he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Lipscomb in overtime. He celebrated his latest heroics by leaping on the press table and pointing to the exuberant McKale Center crowd.
Gonzalez scored 18 points, including 10 in the final 30 seconds, to lead the Wolfpack (8-3). Derrick Williams had 24 points for the Wildcats.
The Wolfpack jumped ahead 8-1 in the first three minutes, and Wise sat down with his second foul with 17:26 to go in the first half. The Wildcats then went on a 9-0 run and took a 31-23 lead into halftime.
The 6-foot-8 Williams scored Arizona’s first eight points of the second half. With about a minute to play and Arizona clinging to a four-point lead, Williams stuffed Dennis Horner in the paint.
N.C. State was without junior forward Tracy Smith, suspended for violating the ACC policy regarding comments on officials.