NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -Gavin Grant paced a balanced scoring attack with 23 points, and Courtney Fells added 17, all in the first half, as North Carolina State knocked off Seton Hall 79-73 Thursday night.
The win was the fourth straight for the Wolfpack (8-3) and avenged a loss they suffered to Seton Hall in Raleigh in January 2006.
Eugene Harvey had 20 points and Brian Laing added 17 to lead the Pirates (8-3). John Garcia had 16 points off the bench for Seton Hall.
J.J. Hickson added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the winners, while Ben McCauley had 10 points coming off the bench for the Wolfpack, who shot 56 percent overall from the floor (30-of-54).
N.C. State put the game away in the final two minutes, thanks to the efforts of sophomore guard Marques Johnson, playing in his first game for the Wolfpack since transferring from Tennessee. Johnson scored on a driving basket and two free throws, helping to secure the win.
After Laing nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Wolfpack lead to 66-65 with 2:08 remaining, Johnson hit a free throw to make it 67-65. McCauley hit a big put-back to push the lead to 69-65. After a Seton Hall turnover, Johnson hit a driving basket with 1:11 left and added a free throw with 1:00 left to push the lead to 71-65.
Grant then scored seven points in the final minute to seal the victory.
