No. 24 North Carolina State 69, Connecticut 65: C.J. Leslie collected 16 points and 13 rebounds and Lorenzo Brown scored 16 as the Wolfpack held off the Huskies at the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden.

Richard Howell chipped in 13 points and 10 boards and Scott Wood hit all four of his free throws in the final 31 seconds en route to 13 points for North Carolina State (5-2), which bounced back from a loss at Michigan last week.

Shabazz Napier scored 19 points and Ryan Boatright had 18 for Connecticut (6-2), which led by as many as 11 at 20-9 in the first half. The Wolfpack closed the period on a 21-11 run and took the lead into the break when Brown buried a jumper with four seconds left.

The Huskies kept it tight in the second half and were tied at 51 after Boatright’s layup with 6:33 to play. But Connecticut went over three minutes without a point as North Carolina State took control, going up 59-53 and forcing a timeout when Brown stole the ball and fed Leslie for a transition dunk.

The Huskies made it a one-possession game again but Howell converted a layup and was fouled. He missed the free throw but the Wolfpack got the rebound and ate another 25 seconds off the clock before sealing it at the free throw line in the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: All North Carolina State players wore the words “don’t ever give up” on the back of their jerseys to honor former coach Jim Valvano. … Howell was hit on the head by a teammate and had to be removed from the game in the first half. He scored 11 points and grabbed all 10 of his rebounds after the break. … The Huskies were outrebounded 35-27. They have come up on the short end in that category in seven of their eight games.