RALEIGH, N.C. -- C.J. Leslie and Richard Howell wanted this moment, the chance to help No. 20 North Carolina State make a big step forward after a bumpy start to a season filled with potential. Now, after a rousing performance to take down No. 1 Duke, the duo has put the Wolfpack back on everyones radar. Leslie scored 25 points, including six straight during a key second-half run, to help N.C. State beat the Blue Devils 84-76 on Saturday. Howell added 16 points and 18 rebounds in a relentless performance for the Wolfpack (14-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) in a matchup of the teams predicted to finish 1-2 in the league. "Coach (Mark Gottfried) said in the locker room: Nobodys going to give us anything and weve got to take it," Howell said. "Thats the mindset we came out with. Weve got to take everything ... and thats what we did." N.C. State was picked for the first time in nearly four decades to win the league, though two early losses drained some buzz. No longer. Any lowered expectations are gone along with Dukes perfect record. "I thought our guys, they accepted the challenge," Gottfried said. "Its one of those (games) where it comes to a point where mentally you say, Im going to get it done and theyre not going to go away. ... Theyre not going to lay down for us. Our guys mentally showed a lot of toughness." It was N.C. States first win against the No. 1-ranked team since beating Duke here in February 2004 and its sixth overall. Lorenzo Brown finished with 12 points and 13 assists for the Wolfpack, while senior Scott Wood added 14 with three 3-pointers -- including a four-point play in the first half. Seth Curry scored 22 despite missing the final minutes with a left ankle injury for Duke (15-1, 2-1), which shot 45 per cent and hung around early by crashing the boards for second-chance baskets. But the Blue Devils had no answer after halftime for Leslie and Howell, a duo that helped the Wolfpack lead all second half. With Dukes loss, No. 2 Michigan (16-0) is now the nations last unbeaten team heading into Sundays game at No. 15 Ohio State. "I thought we played our butts off," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Our kids played with a lot of heart, their kids played with a lot of heart, and they were a little better than we were." Fittingly, Howell hauled in the rebound on Dukes final shot, then passed the ball to Brown as Leslie began jumping around near midcourt to celebrate. Brown flung the ball high into the air as the horn sounded while students and Wolfpack fans stormed to the court -- the charge led by a fan in a wheelchair -- to celebrate. Fans soon lifted Leslie and Brown on their shoulders amid the sea of red-clad jubilation. "I saw the whole court and I couldnt see a bit of court," Leslie said. "I couldnt see one part of the floor. It was just people everywhere. So thats going to be a remembrance that well never forget. Well always keep this in our minds." This was the kind of moment Wolfpack fans long hungry to challenge perennial heavyweights Duke and North Carolina atop the league have been hoping for all season. N.C. State entered the year as the preseason ACC favourite for the first time since the 1974-75 season, while its No. 6 ranking to start the year was the programs highest in nearly 29 years. But the Wolfpack lost to Oklahoma State and Michigan in November to slide down the rankings. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils made it to Saturday unscathed despite playing a schedule that included Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State and Minnesota -- all of which have spent time in the Top 10 this season -- to reach No. 1. But the Wolfpack certainly rose to the occasion Saturday, whether it was Leslie performing to his status as the preseason ACC player of the year or Howell attacking the boards and scoring on second-half putbacks that seized momentum. N.C. State shot 51 per cent to earn its 10th straight win and its first 3-0 start in ACC play since the 1988-89 season, which was also the last time the Wolfpack won the ACC regular-season crown or had a winning streak this long. The Wolfpack also made 20 of 23 free throws, a season-high 87 per cent. It didnt help that Duke was without starting forward Ryan Kelly, who is out indefinitely with a right foot injury. He was on crutches on the Duke bench while Leslie and Howell went wild. Junior Josh Hairston started for Kelly and had eight points with five rebounds, while freshman forward Amile Jefferson -- who chose the Blue Devils over the Wolfpack -- had 10 points before fouling out to mocking cheers by the rowdy sellout crowd. "We know that no team is perfect," Hairston said. "Every team has flaws. One thing that this team is not going to do is use Ryans injury as an excuse. ... Were going to adjust." With his team protecting a 58-57 lead, Leslie went to work, knocking down a jumper then getting past Hairston in the lane for another bucket. On the next possession, he muscled the ball up between two defenders, and soon the Wolfpack pushed their biggest lead to 67-57 with 7:44 left. The Blue Devils twice got as close as four, though Leslie scored over Mason Plumlee inside to answer the last push with 1:41 left. The Wolfpack closed this one out confidently, hitting eight straight and 9 of 10 free throws in the final minute. The Blue Devils played the final 3-plus minutes without Curry, who crumpled to the court after slipping on a wet spot. While Quinn Cook (17 points) and Plumlee (15 points, 11 rebounds) performed well for the Blue Devils, top rookie Rasheed Sulaimon managed just four points on 0-for-10 shooting. wholesale nfl jerseys . According to CBSSports.com, outfielder Juan Pierre has agreed to a deal to return to the Marlins. Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel is reporting that the deal is for one-year that will pay Pierre $1. cheap jerseys china .ca! Hi Kerry, love the blog - keep em coming! Did you see the third period bruhaha with Mike Rupp and half the New Jersey Devils on the ice Monday? Was there anything the refs could have done earlier in the game to prevent this from happening (Pierre McGuire said we saw this coming)? Its getting nasty in this series and that said, whats the nastiest series youve officiated this late in the playoffs? Matt Peake Matt, Pierre McGuire and the referees saw it coming because they felt the temperature spike at ice level following the power play goal scored by Zack Parise at 2:41 of the third period to give the Devils a 3-0 lead. http://www.chinawholesalenflj... .A. Happ said he tried not to concern himself about what pitching counterpart Joe Saunders was doing on the mound. [url=http://www.chinawholesalenfljerseyscheap.com/]cheap jerseys from china . 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