RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Marcus Melvin and North Carolina State were not ready to see their Atlantic Coast Conference title hopes slip away.

Melvin scored 18 points as the Wolfpack remained unbeaten at home and ended top-ranked Duke's 18-game winning streak with a 78-74 victory.

North Carolina State (16-5, 9-2 ACC) won its fifth straight and pulled within one game of Duke (21-2, 10-1) in the conference. It improved to 13-0 at the RBC Center, handing Duke its first loss in eight road games.

"It's certainly a wonderful moment for all of us," Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek said. "Our fans were once again sensational. The RBC was rocking from before the game until right after the game."

The Wolfpack used a stifling defensive effort in the first half to take command and held off a determined Blue Devils' charge, led by Chris Duhon.

Melvin, a senior facing Duke for the final time in the regular season, scored 13 points in the first half as North Carolina State went ahead for good. He netted eight points in a 14-2 tear that opened a 29-18 lead with 3:35 left in the half.

The Blue Devils staged a late rally as Sean Dockery's runner with seven seconds left cut their deficit to 76-74 and capped an 8-2 spurt.

But Julius Hodge made a pair from the line to seal it, setting off a raucous celebration at the sold-out RBC Center.

"We beat 'em, they're No. 1, now we're No. 1," Hodge joked. "We don't want to be ranked. We want to be out of the top 25. When we're hungry, we're eating."

Duke lost for the first time since a 78-68 setback against Purdue on November 29 in the championship of the Great Alaska Shootout. The loss likely means that second-ranked and unbeaten Stanford will become the fifth team to reach No. 1 on Monday.

Hodge netted 18 points in a dramatic turnaround from the first meeting with Duke, a 76-57 loss in Durham on January 15. He fouled out with seven points and seven turnovers in that contest but managed to exploit Duhon in the rematch.

"Our guys really had a tremendous amount of determination tonight," Sendek said. "We've become a team. Earlier, we were just a collection of individuals called a team. Now we're truly becoming a team."

J.J. Redick poured in 28 points and Duhon added 17 for Duke, which nailed seven 3-pointers in the second half to make the game interesting. Redick netted 19 points and Duhon drilled a pair of long 3-pointers after halftime.

N.C. State shot a sizzling 61 percent (14-of-23) in the first half to build its lead and Melvin was 7-of-9 for the game. He also grabbed 11 rebounds as the Wolfpack held a 35-27 edge on the glass, 22-9 in the first half.

"They outrebounded us 22 to nine in the first half and shot 60 percent," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They were able to dictate the style in which the game was being played and they did it well."

Duke's Shelden Williams got into foul trouble and was a non-factor, finishing with four points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes. N.C. State held a commanding 34-20 edge in points in the paint.