Williams, No. 1 Purdue rally past NC State 82-72 in OT

Published Dec. 12, 2021 4:52 p.m. ET
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Trevion Williams had a season-high 22 points to go with 12 rebounds and a career-best nine assists to help No. 1 Purdue rally past North Carolina State 82-72 in overtime Sunday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.

Jaden Ivey added 22 points for the Boilermakers (9-1), who had to rally from 13 down midway through the second half to win this one. And Purdue never led in regulation, taking its first lead Sasha Stefanovic's 3-pointer 15 seconds into the extra period.

Stefanovic also hit a driving layup with 21.5 seconds left to force the overtime, ultimately helping Purdue bounce back from a last-second loss at Rutgers in the program's first-ever week atop The Associated Press men's college basketball poll.

Freshman Terquavion Smith scored a season-high 21 points for the Wolfpack (7-3), who had a prime chance to earn the program’s first win against a top-ranked opponent in nearly nine years.

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Dereon Seabron added 18 points, including a driving basket over Williams that pushed N.C. State to a 66-64 lead with 31.7 seconds left in regulation — only to see Stefanovic answer with the OT-forcing basket.

The Wolfpack shot just 3 for 10 in overtime as Purdue pushed ahead. That included Ivey blocking a driving shot by Seabron in OT with replays showing the ball had first hit the backboard for what should have been a goaltending call.

The frustration built for the Wolfpack until coach Kevin Keatts picked up a technical foul with 43.2 seconds left and the Boilermakers on their way to a win.

BIG PICTURE

Purdue: The Boilermakers' first ever stay at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 was likely to be short even before Sunday after losing on a near-midcourt shot at Rutgers. They flirted with a second loss with that top ranking in four days before shooting 58.1% after halftime to finally wrestle control away of this one, improving to 3-0 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack entered this game just 6-28 against No. 1-ranked teams in the AP poll, with most of those meetings coming against instate neighbors Duke or North Carolina in the ACC. The program's last win against a top-ranked team remains an 84-76 home win against the Blue Devils in January 2013.

UP NEXT

Purdue: The Boilermakers meet Butler in Indianapolis on Saturday in the Crossroads Classic.

N.C. State: A home-state meeting with Richmond awaits in Charlotte on Friday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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