Associated Press

NEW YORK  — Down two with under 2 second left, North Carolina assistant Jeff Lebo drew up a play the Tar Heels hadn’t even run in practice — and it worked.

Pete Nance made a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to force overtime, RJ Davis iced a much-needed victory for scuffling North Carolina with two late free throws, and the Tar Heels beat No. 23 Ohio State 89-84 Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic.

“That’s one of my go-to shots,” said Nance, a graduate transfer from Northwestern. “If I could pick two or three shots I had saved my life with it’d probably be that fadeaway. Been working on it kind of all my life. It was definitely a comfortable shot for me.”

Armando Bacot had 28 points and 15 rebounds and Caleb Love scored 22 for UNC (8-4). The Heels have now won three straight. The Buckeyes fall to 7-3.

North Carolina gets the other half of the Big Ten’s fiercest rivalry Wednesday when they face Michigan in Charlotte.

Rutgers dominates Wake Forest

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Caleb Spencer scored 15 points, Clifford Omoruyi had 14 points and nine rebounds and Rutgers defeated Wake Forest 81-57 on Saturday.

Caleb McConnell added 13 points, Paul Mulcahy had 10 points and seven assists and Aundre Hyatt also scored 10 points for the Scarlet Knights (7-4). Wake Forest (8-4) was held to its lowest points total of the season. Damari Monsanto hit 6 of 12 3-point attempts and led the Demon Deacons with a season-high 22 points. Cameron Hildreth added 13 points and Tyree Appleby, the ACC scoring leader at 18.7 coming in, had 10.

No. 1 Purdue beats Davidson

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Zach Edey had 29 points and 16 rebounds and Caleb Furst scored all 12 of his points in the second half to help No. 1 Purdue fend off Davidson 69-61 in the Indy Classic.

The Boilermakers (11-0) are positioned to stay in the top spot after earning their first No. 1 ranking last December, then  finally getting backon top this week. Sam Mennenga had 14 points and Foster Loyer added 11 points for Davidson (7-4). The Wildcats fell to 0-11 against No. 1 foes.

ECU stops drought vs. S. Carolina

GREENEVILLE, S.C. (AP) — RJ Felton scored 21 points shooting 8 for 13 and East Carolina beat South Carolina 64-56 in the inaugural Greeneville Winter Invitational.

East Carolina (8-4) has won three of its last four following a two-game losing streak. South Carolina (5-6) has dropped back-to-back games and has fallen below .500 for the third time this season.

The Pirates built a 12-0 lead and never trailed.  Javon Small scored 12 points for East Carolina. Hayden Brown scored 15 points for South Carolina. The two teams have now split the 12 games played in the series. The Pirates had last defeated the Gamecocks on Dec. 19, 1998.

Charlotte defeats Monmouth 80-46

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — Jackson Threadgill’s 14 points helped Charlotte defeat Monmouth 80-46.

Threadgill shot 6 for 7, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc for the 49ers (9-2). Josh Aldrich scored 10 points while shooting 3 for 6 (1 for 4 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free throw line, and added five rebounds. Brice Williams finished 4 of 6 from the field to finish with 10 points.

The Hawks (1-11) were led in scoring by Myles Ruth, who finished with 16 points. Jack Collins added seven points and six rebounds, and Myles Foster finished with six points and seven rebounds.

UNC Asheville tops E. Tennessee St.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Jamon Battle scored 21 points as UNC Asheville beat East Tennessee State 74-73.

Battle also added six rebounds and four steals for the Bulldogs (8-4). Nicholas McMullen scored 14 points while shooting 6 of 9 from the field. Drew Pember pitched in with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

Justice Smith led the way for the Buccaneers (4-8) with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Deanthony Tipler and Jalen Haynes both scored 13.

WOMEN

No. 19 Michigan stops App State

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Leigha Brown scored 16 points with eight assists, six rebounds and two steals and No. 19 Michigan recovered from its first loss to beat Appalachian State 77-49 on Saturday.

Emily Kiser led the Wolverines (10-1) with 18 points. Sophomore Greta Kampschroeder, a transfer from Oregon State, had her first double-figures game for her new team with 11.

A’Lea Gilbert scored 15 points for the Mountaineers (3-7), who had 27 turnovers.

Michigan is headed for the Jumpman Invitational and will face No. 7 UNC in Charlotte on Tuesday.