Virginia
NC State stuns Virginia 73-65 in OT; will face UNC for ACC crown :: WRALSportsFan.com
| North Carolina State Wolfpack | 73 |
 |
65 |
| F/OT | |
Washington — NC State defeated Virginia 73-65 in overtime on Friday night in the ACC Tournament semifinal as the Wolfpack will play for their first conference championship since 1987 on Saturday.
State’s Michael O’Connell banked in a desperation three-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime and highlight a improbable comeback effort. DJ Burns carried State in the extra period with seven points, including a three-point play.
It marked the Wolfpack’s fourth win in four days as a run no one saw coming continued in dramatic fashion. Virginia went 1-of-5 from the foul line in the last minute of regulation, leaving the window open for O’Connell’s heroics.
Virginia led 58-52 with 52 seconds left and Casey Morsell was fouled on a three-point shot to earn three foul shots. He sunk all three. Isaac McKneely missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with six seconds left before the game-tying 3 at the buzzer tied it at 58.
Burns led State in scoring with 19 points. McKneely led all scorers with 23 points.
The Wolfpack are making their first appearance in the ACC Tournament championship game since 2007, when they were also a double-digit seed.
State will take on UNC in the ACC final Saturday night. UNC defeated State twice during the regular season, 67-54 in Raleigh and 79-70 in Chapel Hill.
O’Connell hit a layup at the end of the first half to tie the score at 29 at the break. The Wolfpack led by as many as five in the first half.
State (21-14) would secure an NCAA Tournament bid with a win Saturday after entering the tournament as the No. 10 seed, cooling off following a 5-1 start in conference play.