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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina State team that couldn't
close out games for a month, and couldn't shoot straight when it
counted most finally got it right Wednesday night.
Kenny Inge scored a career-high 29 points as the Wolfpack ruined
the Cavaliers' highest ranking in 18 years with a 90-80 victory.
|  | | Virginia's Travis Watson, right, takes a rebound away from Kenny Inge. |
N.C. State shot 72 percent in the second half and was 17-for-25
from the foul line in the final 20 minutes, scoring its most points
in an Atlantic Coast Conference game in Herb Sendek's five seasons.
"I think we showed that we're a pretty good ball club," said
Damien Wilkins, who scored 21 points in the Wolfpack's biggest win
of the season. "For us to come out and get a win over a team that
was on it's high horse, that had beaten some quality teams, to
close out the game like that says a lot about our team and our
character."
N.C. State (11-10, 3-6 ACC) had lost to Virginia, Duke, North
Carolina, Wake Forest and Syracuse by a combined 27 points before
beating the Cavaliers (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 6 AP) to break a 10-game losing skid against ranked
teams.
"All year long we've gotten rotten tomatoes thrown at us, but
we're the ones out there playing," Wilkins said. "We know
everyone isn't going to like us. When things go bad, people tend to
jump ship and go sour. But we've just kept our composure all year
long. We just block it all out."
Inge was 8-for-11 from the field, 13-for-19 from the foul line
and added nine rebounds. His previous best was 28 points against
Georgia Tech on Jan. 2, 1999.
The Cavaliers (16-5, 5-5) committed 22 turnovers and couldn't
handle the Wolfpack's inside game. Center Travis Watson, who leads
the ACC with 10 double-doubles, battled foul trouble all night and
finished with a season-low five points before fouling out with 7:58
left.
Watson suffered a hip pointer Saturday night against Wake Forest
and wasn't at full speed after not practicing for two days.
"He played on courage and guts. He was hurt," Virginia coach
Pete Gillen said. "Travis was 40 percent of himself."
Donald Hand led the Cavaliers with 29 points, but most came late
when Virginia was trailing by double digits.
Virginia, with its highest ranking since March 1983, had a first
half to forget. The Cavaliers shot 33 percent, turned the ball over
15 times and committed 15 fouls to fall behind 36-24 at halftime.
"We really didn't start playing as hard and as desperate as we
needed to until we got down 12 or 14 points and that's too late
against a very good team," Gillen said. "In the ACC, at home or
on the road, you've got to come out with a fire, a passion, and we
didn't.
"That's something from within," Gillen added. "That's not
about talent, it's just about aggressiveness and mental toughness
and physical toughness."
The Cavaliers closed within eight with 16 minutes left after a
15-minute delay at the start of the second half to correct a
crooked basket at Virginia's end.
But N.C. State then broke it open as Inge had a dunk, two free
throws, a layup and follow shot in a span of 3:10 as the Wolfpack
took a 58-40 lead with 11:42 remaining.
Virginia closed within 10 eight times during the final 5:20, but
could get no closer as Wilkins scored nine in the final 3:15.
"Our effort hasn't been any different than this," Sendek said
of a series of tough losses. "Our guys felt determined, not
desperate."
The Wolfpack led by as many as 13 in the first half, going on a
20-5 run as the Cavaliers played their worst half of basketball
since trailing Duke 53-20 on Jan. 13.
N.C. State's defense drew five charging fouls as Virginia, which
had averaged 90 points in its last five games, couldn't muster
anything on the offensive end.
The Wolfpack went six minutes without a basket near the end of
the period, but still managed to take a double-digit lead into the
break for the second straight game against a highly ranked team.
N.C. State led Syracuse by 11 at halftime on Saturday before
losing 54-53.
"We had two great practices going into this game," Sendek
said. "Our guys came right back to work and worked as hard as
young men can work and got a well-deserved win."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Virginia Clubhouse
North Carolina State Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Damien Wilkins hits the runner and Damon Thornton gets back on defense for the rejection.
avi: 1291 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Damien Wilkins feeds Kenny Inge for the two-handed slam.
avi: 875 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Clifford Crawford takes it the length of the court for the tricky lay-in.
avi: 856 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Adam Hall skies to complete the alley-oop from Donald Hand.
avi: 899 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Donald Hand drives the lane and hits the runner in traffic making the 3-point-play.
avi: 930 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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