SOUTH BEND, Ind. — DJ Burns Jr. had 13 points, including the buzzer-beating basket, and NC State rallied past Notre Dame 54-52 on Wednesday night.
NC State did not lead for 39 minutes and 59 seconds before Burns scored the game-winner to cap an 8-0 run in the final two minutes.
Notre Dame led by 11 at the midway point of the second half, but NC State battled back, three times getting within four points. The Fighting Irish answered with a bucket the first two times and led 52-46 with 2:10 remaining. After the Wolfpack got within four again, a turnover by Markus Burton gave NC State the ball trailing by four with 1:26 remaining.
Jayden Taylor drew a foul and hit both free throws to get the Wolfpack within two, then Tae Davis missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for Notre Dame. Taylor missed a layup that could have tied it, then Notre Dame’s J.R. Konieczny was called for traveling.
Trailing by two and with the ball with 26 seconds left, NC State turned to Burns, whose layup tied it with 13 seconds left. Notre Dame’s Julian Roper II drew a foul from Taylor and, for the second time in the final minute, Notre Dame missed the front end of the one-and-one.
With 3 seconds left, the Wolfpack inbounded to Burns, whose left-handed mini-hook beat the buzzer and gave the Wolfpack their only lead of the game.
Burton led Notre Dame (6-8, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 18 points and four assists but had six turnovers, two more than the entire NC State team.
NC State shot 28.8% overall and 3 for 17 from 3-point range. They outscored Notre Dame by six at the line, had 17 offensive rebounds and forced 13 turnovers to four of their own.
Taylor had 12 points for NC State (10-3, 2-0).
Notre Dame built an early 14-4 lead and a 3-pointer by Burton gave the Irish a 26-14 lead with 6½ minutes left in the first half. Taylor hit a layup at the beginning and a jumper at the end of an 8-0 run that got the Wolfpack within four points with about 3 minutes remaining. Notre Dame went on to lead 34-26 at the break.
Both teams are at home on Saturday: Notre Dame against No. 14 Duke and NC State hosts Virginia.
UNC Asheville 95, South Carolina Upstate 67
ASHEVILLE — Drew Pember scored 22 points as UNC Asheville beat South Carolina Upstate 95-67 on Wednesday night.
Pember had nine rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs (9-7, 1-0 Big South Conference). Nicholas McMullen scored 14 points and added seven rebounds and three steals. Caleb Burgess finished with 14 points.
The Spartans (5-9, 0-1) were led by Nick Alves, who posted 16 points. South Carolina Upstate also got 12 points and six assists from Trae Broadnax. In addition, Justin Bailey finished with 11 points.
North Carolina Central 112, Truett McConnell 70
DURHAM — Fred Cleveland Jr.’s 23 points helped North Carolina Central defeat Truett McConnell 112-70 on Wednesday night.
Cleveland added six assists for the Eagles (8-7). Ja’Darius Harris added 16 points and also had six assists. Po’Boigh King finished with 15 points.
KJ Riley led the Bears in scoring, finishing with 16 points and four steals. Raul Arias-Ortega and Jadon Yeh each had 12 points.
UNC Greensboro 79, Furman 68
GREENSBORO — Keyshaun Langley and Donovan Atwell scored 17 points apiece to lead UNC Greensboro to a 79-68 victory over Furman on Wednesday night in a Southern Conference opener.
Langley also had five assists for the Spartans (10-4, 1-0). Mikeal Brown-Jones added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Paladins (6-8, 0-1) were led in scoring by Carter Whitt, who finished with 23 points and six assists. Furman also got 19 points, six rebounds and three steals from Pjay Smith Jr. Cooper Bowser also had eight points, two steals and two blocks.
High Point 85, Radford 71
RADFORD, Va. — Kezza Giffa scored 24 points as High Point beat Radford 85-71 on Wednesday night.
Giffa shot 5 for 7 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 11 of 11 from the free-throw line for the Panthers (12-4). Duke Miles scored 23 points and Trae Benham added 13.
The Highlanders (10-6) were led in scoring by DaQuan Smith, who finished with 26 points. Chandler Turner added 14 points and seven rebounds for Radford. Kenyon Giles also had 14 points and four assists.
Dayton 72, Davidson 59
DAVIDSON — DaRon Holmes had 18 points in Dayton’s 72-59 victory against Davidson on Wednesday night.
Holmes made 5 of 11 shots for the Flyers (11-2). Kobe Elvis scored 17 points, and Nate Santos added 16 points. The Flyers extended their winning streak to eight games.
Bobby Durkin led the Wildcats (10-4) in scoring, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. Davidson also got eight points, five assists and three steals from Grant Huffman. In addition, Achile Spadone had eight points. The loss ended a seven-game winning streak for the Wildcats.
