Associated Press

N.C. State's Farnold Degand (right) drives past Virginia's Jontel Evans during UVa's win.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Having ridden Sylven Landesberg to a rare victory at North Carolina's "Dean Dome," Virginia went with a different approach Wednesday night.

"We won in a way we haven't been winning," UVa men's basketball coach Tony Bennett said after the Cavaliers moved into a tie for first place in the ACC with a 59-47 victory over visiting North Carolina State.

Landesberg, the only ACC player who had scored in double figures in every game this season, finished with a season-low seven points but Bennett didn't necessarily view that as a handicap.

"We won with some foul trouble and cold shooting," said Bennett, whose Cavaliers shot 34.5 percent from the field in falling behind 28-25 at the half.

They shot only 40.7 percent for the game but turned up the defensive intensity in the second half and buried the Wolfpack (14-9, 2-6 ACC) behind some instant offense from junior Mustapha Farrakhan.

Virginia (14-6, 5-2) was leading 40-34 when Farrakhan hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with 8:24 remaining. Then, following a breakaway dunk that he turned into a three-point play with 6:57 remaining, Farrakhan swished a 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:29 left.

"His shots were big," Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said. "We lost him and that's very disappointing."

Farrakhan missed a 3-point attempt in the first half and had gone 1-for-9 from behind the arc in a slump that spanned five games.

"He's been a little cold," Bennett said. "The past couple of games, I've been teasing him [by saying], 'Hey, someone's leaving the door open.' But, he really worked hard, just tightening up his shot and letting the game come."

The Cavaliers were fortunate to be down by only three points at the break.

"I was proud of how we stepped up and defended [in the second half] because we were far too indecisive in the first half," Bennett said. "We didn't have a sense of urgency. At halftime, I really challenged them hard."

He told his players, "That's not who we are and who we need to be."

N.C. State went more than seven minutes without a field goal during one stretch and shot 29.2 percent for the half.

Freshman post man Richard Howell came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points, but State's only other double-figure scorer was Tracy Smith with 12.

Mike Scott registered his fourth double-double of the season and 14th of his three-year career with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Farrakhan added 11 points and Jerome Meyinsse had 10.

The Cavaliers notched a season sweep over the Wolfpack, which was a 70-62 loser to Virginia in Raleigh, N.C., in the ACC opener for both teams.

"Any time you win on the road, it gives you confidence," Lowe said. "If you learn from it, you know how to take that same attitude, that same approach, that same mental toughness, that same discipline, that same desire to go on and win, which that team has. They have it.

"You watch them when they play. They have it. Every last one of them. They play with intensity, they don't make many mistakes, they're physically tough. They just have 'it.' And there's no question, when they beat us at our place, that gave them some confidence."

Bennett lauded Landesberg for his contributions on a night when he was 3-for-10 from the field. Landesberg had a career-high nine assists, grabbed six rebounds and was 3-for-3 from the line.

With its fifth conference victory, UVa surpassed its ACC victory total for the entire 2008-09 season, when the Cavaliers were 10-18 overall and 4-12 in the ACC. The year before that, UVa was 5-11 in the ACC.

Asked what he would have thought before the season about the idea of being tied for the lead on Feb. 4, Bennett said, "I would have taken it. I would have said, 'That sounds good to me.'

"It's a good place to be in, but by no means does that mean we've arrived."

N.C. STATE (14-9)

T. Smith 5-13 2-5 12, Horner 3-6 1-2 7, Degand 2-3 0-0 4, Wood 1-6 0-0 3, Mays 0-4 0-0 0, Howell 5-9 4-7 14, Painter 0-0 0-0 0, Gonzalez 2-6 2-2 7, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Davis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 9-16 47.

VIRGINIA (14-6)

Scott 6-9 3-4 15, Meyinsse 4-6 2-2 10, Evans 0-0 0-2 0, Zeglinski 3-12 0-0 8, Landesberg 2-10 3-3 7, Farrakhan 4-6 1-1 11, Baker 2-6 0-1 5, Sene 0-2 0-0 0, Sherrill 1-2 0-0 3, Jones 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-54 9-13 59. Halftime--N.C. State 28-25. 3-Point Goals--N.C. State 2-11 (Wood 1-4, Gonzalez 1-5, Mays 0-2), Virginia 6-16 (Farrakhan 2-3, Zeglinski 2-8, Baker 1-2, Sherrill 1-2, Jones 0-1). Fouled Out--Meyinsse. Rebounds--N.C. State 30 (Howell, T. Smith 8), Virginia 40 (Scott 10). Assists--N.C. State 6 (Wood 3), Virginia 14 (Landesberg 9). Total Fouls--N.C. State 17, Virginia 19. A--10,092.