RALEIGH, N.C. -- Quentin Snider knew it was time to seize the moment.
It was a good thing for No. 14 Louisville that he did.
The sophomore guard scored a career-high 21 points as Louisville held on to defeat North Carolina State 77-72 Thursday night at PNC Arena.
"With foul trouble for Damion (Lee) and Trey (Lewis), we didn't have any scorers out there," Snider said. "I tried to make plays."
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Snider hit four shots from 3-point range, and the Cardinals did enough damage in the lane to make it to the finish.
"He played great off the bench," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said of Snider.
A pair of late 3-pointers from guard Caleb Martin gave N.C. State a chance. Wolfpack guard Maverick Rowan's 3-pointer with 41 seconds left closed what had been a 16-point gap with less than four minutes to play to 71-67.
Lee, a Louisville guard, answered with a move in the lane for a basket.
Cardinals forward Jaylen Johnson hit two free throws at the 20-second mark, but N.C. State guard Anthony Barber converted a three-point play before Lee missed two foul shots with 16.8 seconds to go, leaving the score at 75-72.
Barber couldn't get a shot off as he stormed toward the lane. After a video review on a ball that was knocked out of bounds, the initial call was reversed and the Cardinals had possession with 7.5 seconds left.
"(Barber) was being aggressive, so I can't have a problem with that," N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said.
Lee, who ended up with 13 points, drained two free throws to seal it with 3.5 seconds to play.
"That was a little stressful," Lee said. "I made an effort to get it back and make up for those two misses."
Louisville (13-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won at least 13 of its first 15 games five times in a six-season stretch.
This was a rematch from last March's NCAA Sweet 16 game, which also was won by Louisville.
Unlike some earlier games this season, the Cardinals were largely pleased with how their defense carried them.
"This was the first time we did it with defense, especially in the first half," Pitino said. "Anytime you get a road win, you feel good no matter how many mistakes you make."
Snider's previous high was 16 points twice.
"I just wanted to have a good game and step up for my team," Snider said.
Forwards Chinanu Onuaku and Ray Spalding each scored 12 points for Louisville.
Barber, the ACC scoring leader, tallied 20 points, slightly below his average of 22.9 points per game. He scored five points in the last 21 seconds.
Barber shot 7-for-22 from the field.
"(Pitino) had a game plan to not let me do what I do," Barber said.
Rowan, who had a bloodied lower lip in the first half, scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. Forward Abdul-Malik Abu had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Martin added 13 points for the Wolfpack (10-5, 0-2).
"I like the fight we had," Gottfried said. "I do believe we're not that far off."
Lee sank a 3-pointer to give Louisville a 53-45 lead, but he missed from long range on the Cardinals' next possession. Abu scored the next five points as the Wolfpack pulled close.
Louisville responded with a 7-0 run for a 60-50 edge.
For the sixth game in a row, the Wolfpack used a total of only seven players.
Louisville held a 34-29 halftime advantage, though a 9-0 run for the Wolfpack helped close the gap before Snider's 3-pointer accounted for the last points of the half.
The Cardinals used a 13-0 burst for a 27-13 lead, resulting in an N.C. State timeout at the 7:54 mark.
N.C. State shot 25.9 percent (7-for-27) from the field in the first half, saved in part by 12 second-chance points courtesy of 11 offensive rebounds.
Barber sat out for 66 seconds in the first half. That was notable because he was on the bench for a total of 43 seconds in the previous six games combined.
"I thought he was tired and that he needed a blow," Gottfried said.
NOTES: The start of the game was delayed when officials had Louisville G Damion Lee remove a long-sleeved garment from under his jersey. ... With the victory, Louisville has won its first conference road game in nine consecutive seasons. Those have come in three different conferences. ... N.C. State wore black jerseys for the home game. ... The teams split two meetings last season, with N.C. State winning at Louisville and then the Cardinals prevailing in the NCAA Tournament game. ... From last March's matchup, N.C. State's current players scored a total of 22 points in the game, while Louisville's returnees accounted for 17 points hat night. ... Louisville plays a road game against Clemson on Sunday. ... N.C. State visits Wake Forest on Sunday night.
