A man charged with raping and killing a 5-year-old North Carolina girl was expected in court Friday, a day after authorities revealed what they believed happened to her in her final days.

A search warrant says a man charged with kidnapping a 5-year-old North Carolina girl who was later found dead told police he took the girl to the hotel where she was last seen alive.

Kendric Burney returned one of his three interceptions for a 77-yard touchdown and his third pickoff resulted in a bizarre fourth-quarter score that helped North Carolina beat No. 12 Miami 33-24 yesterday in an Atlantic Coast Conference game. Burney fumbled his third interception on what looked to be a pass, but Melvin Williams picked up the loose ball and ran the last 44 yards for a score. The touchdown held up on review after replays showed the ball slipping from Burney’s hand, confirming a play that gave the Tar Heels (3-3, 7-3) a 30-17 lead with about 9½ minutes left.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Deon Thompson scored 20 points to help No. 6 North Carolina spoil Isiah Thomas’ college coaching debut and beat Florida International 88-72 last night in the 2K Sports Classic. Ed Davis (Benedictine) added 13 points for the defending national champion Tar Heels (1-0), who had little trouble with the undersized Golden Panthers. North Carolina shot 56 percent and led by double digits much of the way to kick off its centennial season against Thomas, the Hall of Fame player and former NBA coach who took over the long-struggling program in April.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Russell Wilson threw three touchdowns and ran for another, and N.C. State snapped a four-game losing streak by holding off Maryland 38-31 yesterday in a matchup of the ACC Atlantic Division’s worst teams. Wilson was 25-for-38 for 343 yards and the Wolfpack (1-4, 4-5) made just enough plays to secure their second win against a Bowl Subdivision opponent. The teams combined for 752 total yards.

Carolina’s Casey Barth kicks winning field goal as time expires following recovery of a Ryan Williams fumble with 2:02 remaining at the Hokie 24-yard line.

Duke and North Carolina are projected to be the co-ACC champions for the 2009-2010 men’s basketball season. In the voting among media members at ACC Operation Basketball here yesterday, Duke and North Carolina finished in a tie for first, each receiving a total of 545 votes. Duke received 25 first-place votes, North Carolina 20. Clemson was picked third and Georgia Tech fourth.

Punter Jimmy Howell doesn’t just contribute with his leg. As he headed out to the field for a punt early in the second quarter, somebody’s hip pad was in the spot where he was setting up. So he picked it up and flung it about 30 yards the other direction. Equally impressive was what he did seconds later with his leg. He launched a rugby-style punt that hit North Carolina’s Melvin Williams, bouncing into long-snapper Danny Aiken and giving the Hoos a 40-yard gain on a play that was supposed to end their possession.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Rashawn Jackson ran to the corner of the end zone and started conducting the band. Chris Cook went to the locker room “almost in tears,“ and Mikell Simpson wore an ice pack and a giant smile. So this is what it’s like to win. “It’s hard to even explain how good it feels,“ quarterback Jameel Sewell said.

Federal prosecutors say two North Carolina terrorism suspects plotted to kill U.S. military personnel.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Riley Skinner scored on a 1-yard keeper with 2 seconds remaining and Wake Forest rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Stanford 24-17 yesterday. Skinner finished 18 of 26 for 187 yards with a touchdown pass for the Demon Deacons (1-1). His 44-yard pass to third-stringer Lovell Jackson with less than a minute left set up his winning score.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Robert Griffin completed his first eight passes, finishing with 136 yards passing and a touchdown, to help Baylor beat Wake Forest 24-21 yesterday. Kendall Wright ran for a TD, wide receiver Ernest Smith passed for a score and David Gettis caught one for the Bears, who opened last season with a 41-13 home loss to the Demon Deacons.

BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. Looking for something different to do on Labor Day weekend? Go fly a kite. The seventh annual Mile High Kite Festival will be held in the meadows at the top of Beech Mountain, the highest destination in the North Carolina mountains. The free event gives children of all ages an opportunity to fly a kite at an altitude of 1 mile above sea level.

They spent their nights jumping in and out of strange cars, trolling streets lined with decaying storefronts and boarded-up homes. Many sold sex to support drug habits or children left in the care of grandmothers. Even when they were picked up for drugs or prostitution, nights in jail looming, they called home to let their families know they were OK. Then, one by one, the calls stopped.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. When North Carolina’s Marvin Austin looks around the state, he sees plenty of chances for payback. Leave it to the Tar Heels’ wisecracking defensive lineman to embrace the challenge of chasing around so many returning quarterbacks. “It’s going to be pretty fun, because I can go get after all of them,“ Austin said with a laugh. “I didn’t get them all like I wanted to last year, so I think I’ve got an opportunity this year to go and get after that ball and pay them a visit.“