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PITTSBURGH — Jayden Taylor hit a crucial 3-pointer in overtime that provided the cushion to give the NC State basketball team a 79-73 win over Oakland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night.
The Wolfpack (24-14) led the majority of the night before the Golden Grizzlies came back to take the lead late in the second half. The teams battled to a 66-66 tie at the end of regulation to force overtime, where the Wolfpack pulled away for the victory.
DJ Burns, Jr. led the Wolfpack with 24 points to go with 11 rebounds to send NC State to its first Sweet 16 since 2015.
NC State basketball’s DJs handle early business
To attack Oakland’s zone defense, NC State knew it was going to have to utilize its guards offensively a bit more than it did in the first round against Texas Tech.
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DJ Horne answered that call early. After forcing a tough 3-point attempt from Oakland’s Blake Lampman on the first possession of the game, Horne got loose for a fast-break layup off a feed from Michael O’Connell to start the scoring.
Horne accounted for NC State’s first seven points but was held scoreless in the final 16:32 of the half.
DJ Burns, Jr. took over from there. He showed patience against the Oakland defense, finding the angles needed for timely passes or tough finishes off the glass. Burns had eight points and three boards at the break.
Oakland doesn’t go away
Several times in the first half, it appeared the Wolfpack were prime to run away with it. In each occurrence, the Golden Grizzlies had an answer, usually on a 3-pointer.
Jack Gohlke was blanketed by NC State defenders O’Connell and Casey Morsell throughout the first half but found enough daylight to hit three of his six 3-point attempts. Three other players had six points in the first 20 minutes, and Rocket Watts hit a jumper at the buzzer to make it a 32-29 advantage for the Wolfpack at the break.
Trey Townsend answers the call
NC State again had a chance to break the game open early in the second half, but Oakland’s Trey Townsend, considered the team’s best player before Gohlke’s breakout performance in the first round against Kentucky, made his statement.
Townsend scored Oakland’s first eight points of the second half, and his layup with 12:49 left knotted the game 42-all.
Long live the 3-pointer
After the Golden Grizzlies tied it up, both teams went on hot streaks from beyond the arc.
Between the 12:49 mark and the 3:59 mark, NC State and Oakland combined for eight threes. The Wolfpack held on to the lead throughout this time but it kept the game close and tight late, the hallmark for any college basketball fan.
When the game was tied 66-all with 36.8 seconds left, Oakland had 11 made 3s (six from Gohlke) and NC State had eight.
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