Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcus Paige scored 23 points and No. 15 North Carolina escaped Dukes fate by beating North Carolina State 81-79 on Wednesday night. Paige made all five of his 3-pointers, the last one giving the Tar Heels a 71-60 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left, but they had to hang on down the stretch. The Wolfpack trimmed the deficit to one point and nearly tied the score at the buzzer after Abdul-Malik Abu missed a foul shot high off the rim on purpose, but Cody Martins tip-in attempt didnt fall. Kennedy Meeks added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Isaiah Hicks scored 12 for the Tar Heels (13-4, 3-1 ACC), who played their third consecutive close game. They rallied from 13 down in the second half for a 72-71 win over then-No. 5 Louisville in Chapel Hill on Saturday, which followed a one-point loss to nationally ranked Notre Dame earlier in the week. Ralston Turner had 20 points to lead NC State (12-6, 3-2) and Trevor Lacey scored 19 in the Wolfpacks third straight game against a ranked opponent. They upset then-No. 2 Duke 87-75 on Sunday after losing to current No. 2 Virginia last Wednesday. North Carolina gave up 12 offensive rebounds to the Wolfpack in the first half but shot better than 58 percent from the field for a 32-26 lead at the break. The lead changed hands eight times before the Tar Heels ended the half on a 7-1 run for their six-point lead. They pushed it to double digits in the second half with a 10-0 run highlighted by Meeks dunk. Later, Turner led a 9-1 Wolfpack burst, scoring seven of the points to get them within three with two minutes remaining. North Carolinas lead was never higher than five the rest of the way. Laceys 3-pointer cut it to 76-74 with 16 seconds left and the teams traded foul shots the rest of the way until Abu and Martins failed attempt with 0.2 seconds on the clock. Game Notes North Carolina leads the all-time series 151-76, including four consecutive wins ... Tar Heels coach Roy Williams improved to 28-2 against NC State in his career, including 23-2 at North Carolina ... North Carolina hosts Virginia Tech on Sunday ... NC State visits Florida State on Saturday. Salomon Shoes Sale Uk . Ryu (8-3) allowed a run and three hits in six innings and struck out six in his 13th start. In his first 13 starts last season -- his first in the major leagues -- the left-hander was 8-5 with a 2.85 ERA. This was the ninth time this year that Ryu has allowed fewer than three earned runs, and he is 7-0 in those games. Salomon Shoes Clearance .com) - Joe Pavelski scored twice to lead the San Jose Sharks in a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers to split a home-and-home set. http://www.salomonsaleuk.com/ . Klein went undrafted in the NFL last year following his senior season with the Wildcats. He was invited to the Houston Texans rookie camp, but was not offered a contract. Salomon Shoes Sale Online . The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. By releasing Bailey, the Broncos would open up cap space with the 12-time Pro Bowl player scheduled to make around $10 million next season. Salomon Shoes Sale Clearance . TSNs Farhan Lalji reports the Edmonton Eskimos non-import DT has a workout scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any team until then.PHILADELPHIA -- Too worried about his own draft night, Jake Virtanen didnt hear about his hometown Vancouver Canucks trading Ryan Kesler until late Friday. Of course he paid attention when he saw the Canucks kept the No. 6 pick. "I just tried to shake it off and try not to worry about it," Virtanen said. The next player up after the consensus top five of Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl, Sam Bennett and Michael Dal Colle, Virtanen got his "dream come true" when the Canucks used that sixth overall pick on him. "Its pretty surreal for me," the six-foot left-winger said. "Still trying to soak it in. Its an amazing feeling." Virtanen, a native of Abbotsford, B.C., becomes yet another piece of the Trevor Linden/Jim Benning retooling project on the day Kesler was sent to the Anaheim Ducks and defenceman Jason Garrison to the Tampa Bay Lightning. So does Sault Ste. Marie centre Jared McCann, taken with the No. 24 pick the Canucks got as part of the Kesler deal. Unlike centre Nick Bonino and defenceman Luca Sbisa, whom the Canucks got from Anaheim, and Derek Dorsett, acquired from the New York Rangers for a third-round pick, Virtanen seems like a long-term project. Not only could he probably use some more time with the WHLs Calgary Hitmen, but he had shoulder surgery in May and is targeting mid-October to be cleared to take contact.dddddddddddd "If its not mid-October, I think I just want to be 100 per cent healthy," Virtanen said. "Im not going to rush anything. I just want to be healthy and be able to play my best game." Virtanen, a power forward who NHL Central Scoutings Peter Sullivan compares to Jarome Iginla, showed some of his best hockey this past season as a point-a-game player. He was also tied as Canadas leading scorer at the world under-18 championship. All that didnt mean Virtanen went into draft day relaxed and confident. He tossed and turned Thursday night worrying. Virtanen wondered if the shoulder injury would cause him to drop a few spots, but he hoped it wouldnt a big deal. Still, he was anxious about where hed get taken. "I kind of just sat at the hotel just sweating," Virtanen said. "The day was pretty crazy." Not just for him but the Canucks organization given the flurry of trades. Vancouver wrapped up its haul for Kesler by taking McCann, ranked 10th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, with the 24th pick. McCann, a native of Stratford, Ont., had 62 points in 64 games last season and is considered a gifted playmaker. ' ' '