With five seconds left in regulation and a chance to win the game, senior forward Darrion Williams dribbled into the paint, stepped back and watched his jump shot hit the rim.

In overtime, he redeemed himself with a corner 3-pointer before feeding senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin a dime that pushed the lead to multiple possessions as NC State men’s basketball (13-6, 4-2 ACC) stole an 80-76 upset victory over No. 18 Clemson (16-4, 6-1 ACC). The Wolfpack didn’t shoot the ball as well as usual, got outrebounded 38-30 and didn’t make a basket for the last eight minutes of regulation. Still, the team moved to 3-0 on the road in conference play, and demonstrated capable late-game execution in the overtime period.

The Wolfpack was most effective when it threatened the rim, and Lubin led that effort. With 22 points and three offensive rebounds, he created scoring opportunities that didn’t rely on perimeter jump-shooting. The team followed suit, and was rewarded with 22 made free throws. Clemson commits the third-least fouls per game in the conference, but NC State put pressure on its defense.

The Wolfpack initially pulled away from Clemson after a first-half stretch of seven Tiger turnovers in seven minutes. Buoyed by 19 points off turnovers, NC State’s offense flipped the script on the only ACC team which turns the ball over less than the Wolfpack. The pace was flying, and the road team was comfortable.

In the second half, the game slowed to a crawl and NC State was truly tested. Its halfcourt offense was not fruitful, and the Tigers slowly clawed back. A layup by Williams with just over eight minutes on the clock was the last NC State basket until the overtime period, but consistent defense and free throw shooting took the Wolfpack to the extra frame.

Against Georgia Tech, head coach Will Wade was satisfied with letting the team play out its final possessions instead of taking his last timeout. But against Clemson, he decided to draw up a play for the team’s final shot. Missed basket aside, Williams had a clean look, and a variation of that play led to the Lubin basket which put away Wade’s first ranked victory at the helm of NC State, one against his alma mater no less.

Now bearing a marquee win and some road-game mojo, the Wolfpack gets ready for a fourth road game in five games against Pittsburgh at noon on Jan. 24th. It will be streamed on ACC Network.