Recap: N.C. State prevails in OT, ends Oakland's NCAA Tournament run

No matter what happened, one team's magical run was going to come to an end.

But in Saturday's NCAA Tournament second-round matchup between Oakland and N.C. State, it wasn't the side that was playing its seventh game in 12 days that ran out of steam. Instead, the Wolfpack outlasted the Golden Grizzlies, 79-73, in overtime.

Oakland took the lead twice in the extra session but couldn't hang on. The Golden Grizzlies missed their first eight shots in overtime and N.C. State took advantage with an 11-1 run to take control for good.

Trey Townsend finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds and Jack Gohlke scored 22 to lead Oakland, which finishes the season with a 24-12 record.

N.C. State 79, Oakland 73 (end of overtime)

▶ 0:17 — Oakland can't buy a bucket in the extra session and N.C. State continues to create separation. DJ Burns caps an 11-1 run with two free throws to put the Wolfpack up, 79-70.

▶ 1:13 — Things are starting to slip away for Oakland. A missed 3-pointer bounced right to DJ Burns, who was there for the offensive putback. DJ Horne followed with a jumper. After Blake Lampman split two free throws, Jayden Taylor hit a huge 3-pointer to give N.C. State a 75-70 lead.

▶ 2:25 — A crucial moment here. Mohamed Diarra picks up his fifth whistle and fouls out. Trey Townsend makes two free throws to put Oakland back in front, 69-68.

▶ 2:56 — N.C. State makes the first field goal in overtime on a bucket underneath by DJ Burns to grab a one-point lead.

▶ 3:44 — Oakland catches a break on what should've been a backcourt violation on a tipped ball by Trey Townsend. Instead, Townsend ends up being fouled and making a free throw to give Oakland a 67-66 lead.

Oakland 66, N.C. State 66 (end of regulation)

▶ 0:01 — On Oakland's final play, Chris Conway threw an errant bounce pass intended for Trey Townsend out of bounds. The call was upheld after a video review, giving the ball to N.C. State with a couple ticks left. Casey Morsell's heave bounced off the rim, sending it to overtime.

▶ 0:18 — Coming out of its final timeout, N.C. State put the ball in DJ Burns' hands. But the big man couldn't get his shot to drop as the ball rolled off the rim. Oakland secured the rebound, giving the Golden Grizzlies a chance to win it on the final shot.

Oakland 66, N.C. State 66 (0:36 mark of second half)

▶ 0:41 — Jack Gohlke was fouled with Oakland in the bonus. He made both free throws to tie it up at 66. Buckle up for this finish.

▶ 0:55 — After N.C. State split two free throws again to make it a one-point game, Oakland came up empty on its ensuing possession. Coming out of a timeout, Michael O'Connell was fouled on a driving layup and made the free throw to put the Wolfpack back in front, 66-64.

▶ 2:06 — Each side split a pair of free throws. D.J. Burns made one of two for N.C. State before Jack Gohlke was fouled coming off a screen. Gohlke made the front end of the one-and-one but missed the second to make it 64-62.

Oakland 63, N.C. State 61 (2:49 mark of second half)

▶ 2:49 — Oakland finally breaks through and gets over the hump to take its first lead of the night. Trey Townsend scored at the rim while being fouled and completed the three-point play to put the Golden Grizzlies on top, 63-61.

▶ 3:40 — Jack Gohlke came off a screen and used a shot fake to lose an N.C. State defender. The result? Gohlke's sixth 3-pointer of the night to make it a one-point game.

N.C. State 59, Oakland 57 (3:59 mark of second half)

▶ 4:29 — Coming out of an N.C. State timeout, the Wolfpack got a big bucket in the form of a catch-and-shoot 3 from Michael O'Connell to make it a five-point game. Trey Townsend countered with his second deep ball of the game to keep Oakland within striking distance, 59-57.

▶ 6:17 — Oakland refuses to go away. After N.C. State took a six-point lead, Jack Gohlke connected on his fifth 3-pointer while being fouled. He made the free throw to complete the four-point play and cut the deficit to 56-54.

N.C. State 53, Oakland 50 (7:35 mark of second half)

▶ 7:57 — Trey Townsend is keeping Oakland in it. After knocking down a 3-pointer, he hit a hook shot to cut the deficit to 53-50. He's up to 15 points in the second half.

▶ 10:01 — And once again, N.C. State quickly counters to jump back in front. The Wolfpack drained back-to-back 3-pointers in a 39-second span to make it 51-45.

▶ 11:10 — Oakland has pulled even once again. This time it was Chris Conway who knotted it at 45 with a shot from beyond the arc. It was just his third made 3-pointer of the year.

N.C. State 45, Oakland 42 (11:59 mark of second half)

▶ 12:20 — N.C. State wasted little time regaining the lead and stuffing Oakland's momentum. DJ Burns scored through contact and made the free-throw to complete the three-point play.

▶ 12:49 — Jack Gohlke missed a 3-pointer that would've given Oakland the lead. But DQ Cole grabbed the offensive rebound and found Trey Townsend under the rim for an easy bucket to tie it at 42. Oakland is on an 8-1 run.

▶ 14:00 — Jack Gohlke has drawn plenty of attention from N.C. State's defense. But after forcing a live-ball turnover, Oakland took advantage of a fast-break opportunity when Jake Lampman found Gohlke, who was trailing on the play. Gohlke buried the open 3-pointer to cut N.C. State's lead to 42-40.

N.C. State 41, Oakland 36 (15:47 mark of second half)

▶ 16:10 — Within a blink, N.C. State extended the lead. D.J. Burns spun away from a double-team and finished at the rim. Casey Morsell drained a 3-pointer in transition to push the lead to 41-34. The Wolfpack have made four of their first six shots of the half.

▶ 17:21 — Trey Townsend is putting in work in the post. He's scored back-to-back buckets and Oakland's first five points of the second half to pull the Golden Grizzlies within 36-34.

▶ 18:38 — N.C. State doesn't look like a team that's playing for the seventh time in 12 days. The Wolfpack have brought the energy out of the break. Mohamd Diarra blocked a shot by Trey Townsend in the paint and then turned a baseline drive into a dunk and a 26-20 lead.

N.C. State 32, Oakland 29 (halftime)

▶ 0:09 — Oakland calls a timeout to draw up a play on the final possession of the first half. Rocket Watts created some space with a crossover dribble and hit a pull-up jumper before time expired to make it a three-point game at the break.

▶ 1:22 — Mohamed Diarra scores on a layup to snap a stretch of nine missed shots and a four-minute scoring drought for N.C. State.

▶ 2:54 — Oakland comes away with a steal and Trey Townsend scores at the basket on the other end to make it 28-27. Oakland had a couple chances to take its first lead of the game but came up empty on its next two possessions.

N.C. State 28, Oakland 25 (3:10 mark of first half)

▶ 3:26 — N.C. State is starting to cool off on offense. After making 11 of their first 19 shots from the field, the Wolfpack have made just one of their last 10 shots and have missed seven straight field-goal attempts.

▶ 6:47 — Good things continue to happen whenever Jack Gohlke touches the ball. He drained his third 3-pointer of the half and is up to nine points. An 8-2 spurt by Oakland makes it a one-possession game, 28-25.

N.C. State 26, Oakland 22 (6:17 mark of first half)

▶ 6:47 — The Golden Grizzlies claw right back. After Chris Conway hit a hook in the paint, Oakland got a stop and Jack Gohlke hit his second 3-pointer, off another shot fake, to cut the deficit to 26-22.

▶ 7:45 — N.C. State continues to pick apart Oakland's zone, as the Golden Grizzlies are struggling to get stops. A jumper by Jayden Taylor capped a stretch where the Wolfpack made six of seven shots and scored on six consecutive possessions to take a 26-17 lead.

N.C. State 22, Oakland 15 (9:41 mark of first half)

▶ 10:07 — It's starting to rain 3s on both sides. After N.C. State's Michael O'Connell buried a clean look from deep, Blake Lampman countered with a deep ball of his own. Then after N.C. State knocked down another open shot from beyond the arc, Lampman answered with a deep 3 from the left wing to cut the deficit to 20-15.

▶ 12:04 — N.C. State is doing most of its damage around the rim against Oakland's zone. D.J. Burns whipped a pass to Mohamed Diarra for an uncontested dunk, as the Wolfpack has scored 10 of their first 14 points in the paint.

N.C. State 9, Oakland 7 (13:59 mark of first half)

▶ 14:27 — After D.J. Burns scores inside to give N.C. State an early 9-2 lead, Chris Conway threw down a second-chance dunk and Jack Gohlke drained his first shot of the night. Can you guess from where? He used a shot fake and splashed a 3-pointer to get his night started.

▶ 16:48 — Oakland sharpshooter Jack Gohlke, who shined in the upset over Kentucky, received a loud applause when he checked into the game for the first time. However, DJ Horne continued his hot start. He hit a 3-pointer over Oakland's zone and hit a runner in the lane to score N.C. State's first seven points.

▶ 17:36 — Oakland wins the tip, but N.C. State opens the scoring with a fast-break basket by DJ Horne. Oakland missed its first three shots before it got on the board with a close-range bucket by Chris Conway.

Pregame

Oakland will try to turn a Cinderella run into a berth in the Sweet 16.

Oakland (24-11), the No. 14 seed in the South Region, takes on No. 11 seed N.C. State (23-14) in a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup in Pittsburgh. The winner advances to the Sweet 16 in Dallas.

Oakland, the Horizon League champion, opened the tournament by knocking off No. 3 seed Kentucky, 80-76. N.C. State started its run with an 80-67 victory over No. 6 seed Texas Tech.

Follow along here for live updates from James Hawkins of The Detroit News.

NCAA Tournament

SOUTH REGION: NO. 14 OAKLAND VS. NO. 11 N.C. STATE

▶ Tipoff: 7:10 p.m. Saturday, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh

▶ TV/radio: TBS and TruTV/1270

▶ Records: Oakland 24-11; N.C. State 23-14

▶ Series: First meeting

▶ Line: N.C. State by 5.5 points