NC State holds off Tennessee State 67-55 in overtime

NC State holds off Tennessee State 67-55 in overtime

Published Dec. 10, 2016 7:54 p.m. ET

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Terry Henderson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:57 left in overtime to help North Carolina State beat Tennessee State 67-55 on Saturday.

Henderson finished with 21 points for the Wolfpack (7-2), while freshman Dennis Smith Jr. came up with a key three-point play with 58.5 seconds left and a punctuating windmill breakaway dunk to cap a game-closing 14-0 run.

BeeJay Anya also came up big with 12 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wayne Martin had 16 points to lead the Tigers (7-2), who led by eight early in the second half before going scoreless for more than 8 minutes as N.C. State rallied.

Smith finished with 19 points, including a tough fading shot to tie it at 50 with 46.4 seconds left in regulation. He also blocked Tahjere McCall's drive to get the ball back, but Martin swatted Smith's driving shot for the win to force OT.

BIG PICTURE

Tennessee State: The Tigers gave their power-conference foe fits with their athleticism and toughness, controlling the glass while making the Wolfpack work for shots. Still, Tennessee State fell to 0-15 against Atlantic Coast Conference teams.

N.C. State: Put simply, this is still a young group trying to figure things out. The Wolfpack didn't shoot well, had trouble getting good looks and missed too many free throws before finishing strong to earn the win.

UP NEXT

Tennessee State: The Tigers return home to host Alabama State on Wednesday night.

N.C. State: N.C. State hosts Appalachian State on Thursday night, a game headlined by the debut of five-star freshman Omer Yurtseven. The NCAA required the Turkish 7-footer to sit his first nine games after examining his amateur status following an overseas career.

---

Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

---

More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25

share