NEW YORK — Almost. N.C. State almost did it.
The Wolfpack stood tall against No. 1 Purdue, but will kick itself on the way back to Raleigh after an epic letdown. After leading by 13, N.C. State slipped the rest of the way, falling to Purdue 82-72 in overtime.
Purdue outscored N.C. State 25-12 in the final nine minutes and forced overtime after Sasha Stefanovic tied the game with 21 seconds left in regulation. Both teams had a shot at winning in the final seconds, but both squads turned the ball over, forcing overtime.
Stefanovic started the extra session with a three, picking up where he left off in regulation. Moments later, Ebenezer Dowuona fouled out, taking away the Wolfpack’s best post presence.
N.C. State led by 13 with 9:10 left in the second half before things started to unravel. Multiple scoring droughts and untimely turnovers allowed Purdue to inch back into the game.
Trevion Williams converted an old-fashioned three-point play that tied the game at 64 with 51 seconds remaining. Purdue took its first lead of the day on Stefanovic’s three in overtime and never looked back.
The Boilermakers outscored N.C. State 16-6 in overtime.
The Pack was in position to shock the world late in the second half. Jericole Hellems hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put N.C. State up 54-41, as momentum favored Kevin Keatts’ team. Hellems struggled in the first half, but his two triples gave the Wolfpack its biggest lead of the game.
Dereon Seabron’s two free throws moments later made added to the positive momentum. Seabron’s freebies came after the Norfolk, Va. native did what he does best — drive to the basket. That’s what State was missing in the first half, from both its most experienced players.
But at some point, everyone went cold. Seabron’s layup with 31 seconds remaining was the last field goal in regulation for the Pack. N.C. State had a chance to inbound the ball with two seconds left in regulation, but Cam Hayes threw the ball on the out-of-bounds line.
Purdue missed at the buzzer, but connected on 3-of-5 field goals in overtime and knocked down 9 of 13 from the foul line. The Wolfpack, which started the game on a 9-0 run, made 3 of its 10 field goals in the extra period of play.
Under Keatts, N.C. State never beat a No. 1 team and now drops to 6-29 all-time against top-ranked teams.
Here’s what we learned.
CAN HANG WITH THE BEST
Keatts isn’t into moral victories, but his team showed they can play with anybody. N.C. State can build off a game in which it took the No. 1 team in the country to overtime and led most of the way.
SMITH READY FOR PRIMETIME
Terquavion Smith won three state championships while at Farmville Central. It was widely known that he was the most game ready freshman out of the class. Smith showed he won’t shy down for the big stage. Playing in an NBA arena for the first time, Smith was ready for the bright lights in the big city, scoring 21 points. He had eight at the half and scored nine of the first 13 in the second half.
PRESS AND PRESS SOME MORE
N.C. State was at an obvious size disadvantage, but played to their strength on defense: pressuring the ball. About halfway through the first half, Kevin Keatts went to a 1-2-2 full court press to disrupt the Purdue ball handlers.
STILL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BIGS
This is a recurring theme with Manny Bates out for the year, but a team with a true post player will cause problems for State. Purdue had three true bigs, and the one who caused the most problems didn’t even start. Trevoin Williams, the 6-10 senior, came off the bench and led Purdue with 22 points. The starting center, 7’4 Zach Edey, had nine points and seven rebounds. When Ebenezer Dowuona got in early foul trouble, the Pack had no answer in the post.
