Paige, Tar Heels rally from 11 down to beat No. 5 Duke 74-66 in weather-delayed rivalry

North Carolina's Kennedy Meeks, left, and James Michael McAdoo struggle for possession of the ball with Duke's Amile Jefferson and Jabari Parker (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) (The Associated Press)

Duke's Tyler Thornton, left and Rasheed Sulaimon (14) defend as North Carolina's J.P. Tokoto drives to the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) (The Associated Press)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Marcus Paige turned in yet another big second-half performance for North Carolina. This time it was good enough to help the Tar Heels beat No. 5 Duke in the rivalry's weather-delayed game.

Paige scored all 13 of his points in the second half, including two big baskets in the final 2½ minutes, to help the Tar Heels beat the Blue Devils 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 Atlantic Coast Conference), who rallied from 11 down in the second half to snap a two-game home losing streak to the Blue Devils (21-6, 10-4).

It was by far North Carolina's most impressive win during the run that has helped the Tar Heels dig out from an 0-3 ACC start.

When it was over, UNC students and fans stormed to midcourt to celebrate a win that was came eight days later than they had hoped due to a winter storm that forced the game's postponement last week.

The Tar Heels shot 47 percent and even made their last 10 free throws in the final 6 minutes after a disastrous start at the line, providing a rousing finish befitting the long-running rivalry.

Jabari Parker and Quinn Cook both scored 17 points to lead 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 their way back into the game.

Duke shot 36 percent (11 for 31) after halftime and finished 5 for 22 from 3-point range for the game.

After being hounded throughout the first half by Duke defenders Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon, Paige — who has made a habit out of big second-half performances this season — finally scored about 3½ minutes into the second half.

But he got stronger down the stretch.

After knocking down a 3-pointer, Paige came up with a stepback jumper over Rodney Hood with about 2 minutes left to push North Carolina's lead to 66-62. Then, after two free throws from Parker, Paige drove by Hood into the paint and hit a scooping layup through the heart of Duke's defense to answer and keep it a two-possession game.

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 to celebrate at the horn.