NC State did nearly everything right but deliver the final blow in regulation against No. 1-ranked Purdue on Sunday.
The youthful Wolfpack went toe-to-toe with the larger and more experienced Boilermakers, who were coming off a loss at Rutgers on Thursday. NC State was hot from outside, had some luck on their side and got Purdue out of its rhythm on offense during the first half.
Everything seemed pointed toward the Wolfpack recording their sixth ever win over a No. 1-ranked team. The last time that had occurred was Jan. 12, 2013, against Duke.
Conversely, Purdue couldn’t keep up from three-point land, but did have the one-two punch at center with Zach Edey and Trevion Williams. NCSU even withstood foul trouble in the first half with all three centers getting two fouls apiece trying to defend the duo. It had the feel of if one center wasn’t going to do it, the other one will, and that kept Purdue afloat.
Williams ended up leading the charge in the Boilermakers 82-72 overtime win against NC State in Brooklyn, N.Y. He had 22 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks in a season-high 33 minutes off the bench.
“Trevion Williams was the difference in the game,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said. “That is no knock on my two young bigs. They played their butts off. At the end of the day, he was really good. We have him, we win the game.”
Keatts doesn’t believe in moral victories, but the message to his players was clear. He’s watched every Purdue (9-1 overall) game this season and knows his young squad had its chance.
“You are playing with the No. 1 team in the country and you are fighting all the way until the end,” Keatts said. “We had our chances and we can play with anyone in the country.”
NC State proved to be the aggressor for about the first 34 minutes, and then Purdue turned up its intensity down the stretch, which was predictable. The only question was whether NCSU could make just enough plays to hold off the Boilermakers charge.
Part of NC State’s early success was simply the incredible shot-making Terquavion Smith put on display during various stretches. He eventually cooled off, but not before he had 21 points and three three-pointers. His four-point play and three-pointer gave NC State a 40-30 lead with 18:23 left in the game.
“He carried us,” Keatts said. “He was special. He was a good player. He made plays and made shots.”
NC State led 58-46 with 6:10 left, but Purdue reached a different level of urgency that kept rising with each minute that went by. The Wolfpack were withstanding the run thanks to some timely plays, perhaps none bigger than Dereon Seabron’s (18 points) driving layup to keep the lead at 62-54 with 3:56 left. However, Purdue kept charging.
Senior wing Sasha Stefanovic hit a pair of free throws when he was fouled with 2:19 left in the game off the ball by senior Jericole Hellems (12 points). The latter redeemed himself with a difficult turn-around jumper, giving the Wolfpack a 64-48 lead with 1:58 left.
Stefanovic answered with a deep three-pointer, and then Williams had a 3-point play to tie the game 64-64.
NC State turned to what they do best, which was Seabron with another impressive drive to give NCSU a 66-64 lead with 31 seconds left.
With everyone concentrating on Williams again, this time Stefanovic hit a layup to tie the game at 66-66 with 21 seconds left. When the game went to overtime, there was no question that Purdue had the momentum. Purdue had shot 57.7 percent from the field in the second half.
Stefanovic opened the extra period with a three-pointer, and eventually center Ebenezer Dowuona fouled out with 3:17 remaining.
Purdue capitalized on a turnover, which led to a Williams follow-up dunk and the Boilermakers were off and running in overtime, leading 73-68 with 2:35 left.
“I thought they just made shot,” Keatts said. “I thought we did a good job the entire game, the end of the game in regulation and overtime. “We lost No. 55 [Stefanovic] a couple of times.”
Seabron didn’t think experience was the difference in the outcome.
“I always thought we could play with anybody, whether ranked or unranked,” Seabron said.
NC State started the game 8 of 16 from three-point land but finished 8 of 21 from beyond the arc. The Wolfpack didn’t make a three-pointer after Hellems drained a pair of them to give them a 54-41 lead with 9:10 remaining.
Purdue struggled from deep going 5 of 21 from beyond the arc, but made up for it with a 39-9 advantage in bench points.
“Purdue is going to win a lot of games and make a deep run in the NCAA,” Keatts said. “They might even win a championship. We did a great job and went toe-to-toe.”
NC State returns to action Friday against Richmond in Charlotte, N.C.
“I like where our program is at,” Keatts said.
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