Pack Drops OT Heartbreaker to 19th-ranked Kansas

Saturday, December 13

Raleigh, NC

5:30 PM

NC State

7-4,0-0ACC

Kansas

8-3,0-0Big 12

OT 1

Kansas

NC State

Pack Drops OT Heartbreaker to 19th-ranked Kansas

12/13/2025 9:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team's game-winning shot was just short as the Pack dropped a 77-76 overtime heartbreaker to 19^th-ranked Kansas in front of a capacity crowd of 19,119 on Saturday evening.

The game, which was tied at halftime, the end of regulation and closed with a one point difference featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties.

Quadir Copeland led NC State with 19 points and a game-high six assists while Darrion Williams (17 points/10 rebounds) and Ven-Allen Lubin (16 points/11 rebounds) both posted double-doubles.

Kansas' Melvin Council Jr., led the Jayhawks with 36 points as he tied the Lenovo Center arena record with nine made three-pointers. The nine three-pointers also tied for the second-most by an NC State opponent in program history.

Council Jr., finished the game 13-of-27 from the field, including 9-of-15 from three-point range. The 13 made field goals are tied for the fourth-most in arena history and the 27 field goal attempts are tied for the second-most in arena history.

Neither team shot the ball well as Kansas finished the game at 42.9 percent from the field and NC State shot season-lows in field goal percentage (37.8 percent) and three-point percentage (26.5 percent).

The majority of the first half was spent with the teams never separate by more than a field goal, but the Jayhawks finally got some separation, going on a 7-0 run to take a 30-23 lead with 2:07 left. NC State responded with a 7-0 run of its own to send the game to halftime tied at 30.

The Pack scored six of the first eight points of the second half to extend its run to a 13-2 streak, but Kansas went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead, 42-36, with 13:48 to play.

NC State trailed for the next five minutes before a Matt Able corner three with 8:55 left tied the game at 51. Lubin scored a lay-up on the Pack's next possession to put NC State back in front, 53-51, with 8:15 to go.

Kansas scored the next five points to go back in front, but NC State scored back-to-back baskets to retake the lead, 59-58, with 3:19 left in regulation.

Council Jr., put the Jayhawks back in front with a three with 2:43 to go before two Copeland free throws tied the game at 61 with two minutes to go.

Council Jr., scored again to break the tie and then after NC State tied the game on its next possession, made a three-pointer to give Kansas a 66-63 advantage with 49 seconds to play.

Williams canned a three-pointer 11 seconds later to tie the game at 66 and after Kansas came up empty on its offensive possession, the Pack got the ball back with 12 seconds to play, but Copeland's runner came up just short and the game went to overtime tied at 66.

In overtime, the Pack went up quickly on a lay-up by Williams, but Council Jr., started a 7-0 run by the Jayhawks with a three-pointer.

Trailing 73-68 with 3:07 to go, Williams stepped up with back-to-back three-pointers to give NC State a 74-73 lead, but Tre White drew a foul on the next possession and made both free throws to put Kansas back in front, 75-74, with 1:40 to play.

Copeland worked his way into the lane for a lay-up, but a dunk from Flory Bidunga with 51 seconds to go gave Kansas a 77-76 lead and proved to be the game-winning basket as neither team scored again.

NC State returns to action on Wednesday when it plays its annual Heritage Game in Reynolds Coliseum. Tipoff against Texas Southern is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on ACC Network Extra.