CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next. And yet, a month after sitting at 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tar Heels are surging after a rousing comeback against their fiercest rival that had their fans rushing to midcourt to celebrate when it was over. Paige scored all 13 of his points in the second half, including two big baskets in the final 2 1/2 minutes, to help UNC beat No. 5 Duke 74-66 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Senior Leslie McDonald added a season-high 21 points for the Tar Heels (19-7, 9-4 ACC), who rallied from 11 points down in the second half to beat the Blue Devils (21-6, 10-4) in a rivalry game postponed more than a week by a winter storm. It was by far North Carolinas most impressive win during its run. Before Thursday, most had come against teams standing sixth or lower in the ACC standings. "Im not going to say were a finished product because weve got games left," Paige said, "but man, were playing really well right now and were winning games in a lot of different ways." It marked UNCs third win against a top-five team this season, along then-No. 1 Michigan State and then-No. 3 Louisville. Throw in then-No. 11 Kentucky in December, and the Tar Heels have beaten the top four teams from The Associated Press preseason Top 25. Not bad for a team that never had top player P.J. Hairston due to NCAA violations for improper benefits. "It was a bunch of guys that fought really hard," coach Roy Williams said, "and I couldnt be prouder of my team than I am right now." After filling the entire court after the horn, thousands of fans mobbed Franklin Street on the north end of campus to continue a celebration that came eight days later than they had hoped due to last weeks winter storm. The storm brought enough snow and ice to paralyze area roads and kept Dukes bus from even making it to Durham to pick up the team for the 11-mile drive to the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels made it worth the wait for their fans by being tough enough to wrestle control from the Blue Devils. They shot 50 per cent from the field after halftime and even made their last 10 free throws after a disastrous start at the line. Jabari Parker and Quinn Cook both scored 17 points for Duke, which led 51-40 with about 15 minutes left before going ice cold from the field. The Blue Devils missed 13 straight shots and went scoreless for 6 minutes at one point, helping the Tar Heels climb back in it by mixing a 1-3-1 zone with man defence. "They would just keep switching," Cook said. "Wed come down, and we wouldnt know what theyd be in. They kept us on our toes with their defence." Duke shot 36 per cent (11 for 31) after halftime and made 5 of 22 3-pointers for the game, Coach Mike Krzyzewski said he thought his team "played young" in the second half. "We looked tired or we didnt have life," Krzyzewski said. "And no matter what we did in a timeout, we just didnt have that spark -- the anger, the emotion, the thing you have to have to match what their crowd, their team is doing. You have to try to counter that. And I just felt we were, we didnt have the life that you needed to have." Paige provided plenty of that fight for the Tar Heels. After being hounded by Duke defenders Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon through his scoreless first half, he scored nine points in the final 5 1/2 minutes starting with his only 3-pointer of the night. McDonald hit the go-ahead jumper to make it 62-60 with 3:54 left, capping his own strong performance after two straight 1-for-8 shooting performances. Paige followed with a stepback jumper over Rodney Hood with 2:11 left, then answered Parkers free throws by driving for a scooping layup through the heart of Dukes defence. After Sulaimon missed a 3 on the ensuing possession, freshman Nate Britt followed with two free throws that pushed the lead to 68-62 with 46.2 seconds left and soon had the rowdy home crowd inching closer to the court. It marked the 11th time Paige has scored in double figures in the second half this season after scoring four or fewer in the first. The postponement created a four-games-in-eight-days stretch for both teams, though its particularly challenging for Duke with No. 1 Syracuse visiting Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night in a rematch of the overtime classic won by the Orange earlier this month. UNC hosts Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon. Brandon Pirri Jersey . Make the extra pass, take care of the ball, play defence and get more out of his bench. Deryk Engelland Golden Knights Jersey . The 33-year-old Spaniard, who held the lead since the second round, turned in a solid final round that featured six birdies and two bogeys to finish on 22-under 266. The victory is Garcias first this year with his last win coming at the Johor Open, an Asian Tour event in Malaysia last December. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authent...hts-jersey/.com) - Jahlil Okafor had 21 points, Tyus Jones scored 16 with 10 assists and No. William Karlsson Golden Knights Jersey . Compared to what hes gone through in recent weeks, that seemed like a breeze. Speaking to The Associated Press on Friday at an NBA Cares event, Silver said hes thrilled that the leagues attention can be on the championship series between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs -- and not, as it was for so much of the post-season, on the off-the-court matters involving the banishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and now the looming sale of that franchise. Tomas Nosek Golden Knights Jersey . The first baseman hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Mets to a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.WINNIPEG -- Blake Wheeler knows the Winnipeg Jets are still a long shot to earn the final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference, but a decisive thumping of the team theyre chasing gave the club a glimmer of hope on Sunday night. Wheeler had four assists as the Jets stormed from behind to beat the Dallas Stars 7-2, pulling to within four points of the eight-place Stars, although Dallas has two games in hand. "Were a little too far back to have statement games," Wheeler said. "It was a good step for us. It was a good start to hopefully something good here. Weve got to rally and string a bunch together now." The Jets (31-29-9) managed to snap a six-game winless streak that crippled their playoff chances. "Weve liked the way weve been playing for the most part," Wheeler said. "The last three or four games weve actually played really well but it just hasnt worked out for us, so to get the results is definitely gratifying." Dustin Byfuglien had two goals and an assist for the Jets, while Jacob Trouba, Michael Frolik, Evander Kane, Ollie Jokinen and Tobias Enstrom also scored. Jokinen and Enstrom each added two assists in the teams highest-scoring game of the season. Alex Chiasson and Tyler Seguin scored first-period goals for the Stars (32-24-11), who had earned points in their previous four games. The Jets scored the next six goals after Seguin had given the Stars a 2-1 lead 7:02 into the game. Stars coach Lindy Ruff thought his team had enough quality chances to have a bigger lead. "Its more than just a loss," Ruff said. "We got off our game. We had some terrible turnovers and they took advantage of it. "I thought they stayed with it longer than we did." Al Montoya, starting in place of the injured Ondrej Pavelec, survived a shaky start and finished with 25 saves on 27 shots, including one on an Erik Cole breakaway that could have given Dallas a two-goal lead. "That goes back to experience I guess," said Montoya, who upped his record to 11-5-3. "Being put in that situation several times, youve got a choice. You either go out there and make a big save or you let the mental part of the game bother you. Im a battler and I like to think my teammates think the same thing of me." Tim Thomas started in goal for Dallas, but stopped just 13 of the 17 shots he faced and was pulled after Jokinens goal 29 seconds into the second period made it 4-2.dddddddddddd Cristopher Nilstorp, a 30-year-old with five NHL games to his credit, came off the bench and allowed three goals on 17 shots. The Stars lost regular starter Kari Lehtonen to a concussion on Mar. 8. "Im disappointed in the way we played," Ruff said. "Im disappointed in the composure. I didnt think we showed enough resolve." After a wide open first period, the Stars mustered only three shots on goal in the second as the Jets built a 5-2 lead. "Its a really important learning process for a young team to have success in a big game getting down early and then coming back and being very good," Maurice said. Jokinen found himself all alone in front of the Dallas net after a pass from Wheeler and scored on a shifty deke to chase Thomas from the game. Then Byfuglien blasted a hard shot from the point on the power play to make it a three-goal lead. The defenceman-turned-forward scored again early in the third -- his 19th of the season -- and moments later, nearly became the first Jet to record a hat trick since the team relocated from Atlanta, but was stopped on a breakaway by Nilstorp. The eventful evening for Byfuglien ended with him leaving the game with a lower-body injury midway through the third period. Maurice said he expected Byfuglien to be available for the Jets game in St. Louis on Monday night. After Trouba opened the scoring at 3:11, the Stars took only four minutes to regain the lead. Chiasson poked the puck under Montoya after the netminder appeared to have control of a point shot. Then Seguin notched his 30th of the season after a pass from rookie Valeri Nichushkin. Frolik tied it after a giveaway from Stars defenceman Alex Gologoski, and Enstrom deposited a pass from Wheeler past Thomas to give the Jets the lead for good. The Stars are in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night and Philadelphia on Thursday before heading home. The teams have one remaining meeting, in Dallas on March 24. Notes: The Jets were also without centre Jim Slater (lower body) and forward Chris Thorburn (ankle), who were both injured on Friday night in a loss to the New York Rangers. a The NHL announced that the Stars will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 9 to make up the game that was suspended on Monday when Dallas forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the teams bench. The game will be 60 minutes, and will start with Columbus holding the 1-0 lead they had prior to the medical emergency. ' ' '