GREENVILLE - Sam Hinnant was floating somewhere in the sea of purple-clad fans, a Pirate treasuring a golden moment, a victory celebration unlike any other in Minges Coliseum.

The junior guard had just scored a career- high 30 points to lead East Carolina to a 75-69 win over N.C. State on Saturday night before 7,623 partisan fans yelling "Purple" and "Gold."

Those were truly the colors of this frenetic game, none of which has ever been finer for East Carolina. The victory snapped an 0-for-17 losing streak against the Wolfpack and ended an 0-for-57 run against opponents from the ACC, plenty of reason for ECU loyalists to rush the court.

Talk about getting a monkey off your back. This was it.

"I'm not sure I'm the one to address what it means to the program," said first-year Pirate head coach Mack McCarthy. "[But] it was a lot of fun and an unbelievable atmosphere."

"We needed this," added ECU athletic director Terry Holland, who got State to come to Greenville for the first time.

Conversely, it was not what State coach Sidney Lowe needed as he watched his Wolfpack (4-3) get out-dueled down the stretch by the pesky, poised and determined Pirates.

With the score tied 64-64, 3:09 remaining, and Minges a madhouse, who would blink first? Not Hinnant, who was averaging 8.9 points before Saturday, and not any other Pirates (4-5).

The red-hot guard for whom State had no answer buried his sixth 3-point basket and 10th field goal in 13 tries. Then, Corey Farmer followed up by stealing an inbound pass and scoring. Suddenly, ECU was ahead 69-64.

"That was a turning point; that put us in a hole," said Lowe, his voice low and somber. "They made plays down the stretch, made shots and got rebounds they had to make. We were not able to do that."

In that last 3:09, Gavin Grant (25 points) missed three of four foul shots and Brandon Costner (seven points) failed to convert two, airballing the second attempt.

"When it's winning time, you can't make mistakes," said Grant, who otherwise had a high-energy, solid night. "We definitely have better players [than a year ago], but we've got to learn how to win together. We've got to pick it up. They deserved to win [tonight]."

State had hoped to come in, control the tempo, and take the Pirates fans out of the game. But it didn't happen. ECU refused to fold despite falling behind by nine early in the second half, and the loyal crowd remained Cameron Indoor Stadium loud.

"My ears are still ringing," Hinnant said when he reached the interview room.

In addition to Hinnant's heroics, big man John Fields contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. And guard Darrell Jenkins added 11 points, including clutch free throws in the wanning moments, and also dished out eight assists.

The Pirates outshot State 10 field goals to five behind the arc, a vital statistic. And they did stellar defensive work in the second half on Pack big man J.J. Hickson, holding him to three points after allowing the freshman 12 in the first period.

"We decided to gamble some, double a couple of people and try to come from different angles at him," McCarthy said. "He can beat you. We never had an answer to Grant, a pro. But I thought we kept them off balance [with a blend of man-to-man, zone and zone presses]."

What about State, a team picked to finish third in the ACC. What now, Wolfpack?

Lowe said it is not time to panic, but noted that his squad has work to do.

"We're a deeper team, but a better team than last year? I don't know," he said. "We are still learning. We need to learn how to win. We need to make some shots."

Lowe lamented State's 5-for-16 percentage behind the arc, the missed free throws at do-or-die time, and he wasn't bragging about the overall 42.0 shooting mark, either.

At the outset, Grant energized the Pack early and helped create a quick 11-4 lead. But the Pirates wouldn't go away and tied the score 38-38 at the break when Hinnant -- who else? -- swished a roof-raising 3 at the buzzer.

"He hit some unbelievable shots," Lowe said. "He also has a nice mid-range game."

At the beginning of the second half, the Pack looked as if it would take charge, bolting ahead 47-38 as Grant converted a three-point play on a dazzling reverse layup and subsequent free throw.

But here came the Pirates again, showing remarkable resiliency, staying close, then adding the winning touch.

"It's amazing," John Fields said. "Coach [McCarthy] said play hard, play with a good attitude, and leave it all on the court. I'm hoping this will jump-start our program, get everybody to believe in us."

The Wolfpack believes.