Purdue basketball will likely fall out of the No. 1 spot on the AP Poll after just one week, but the Boilermakers avoided back-to-back losses with a dramatic performance Sunday afternoon.

After the last-second loss to Rutgers in conference play, Matt Painter’s Boilermakers moved on to the Basketball HOF Invitational at the Barclays Center vs. North Carolina State. For much of that game, the Wolfpack remained in control.

NC State carried a 4-point lead into the break and led by as much as 13 points in the second half. Purdue did not have much of an answer for Terquavion Smith and the 3-point shooting of the Wolfpack until late.

Then, the Boilermakers mounted their comeback led by Sasha Stefanovic and Trevion Williams. That duo combined for Purdue’s final 12 points of regulation with a couple of key game-tying buckets. Williams initially tied the game at 64 with an and-1 in the post while Stefanovic tied the game at 66-all with a late layup.

In overtime, Purdue finally gained control with its first lead of the game. A steal by Eric Hunter Jr. led to a put-back slam by Williams and a 5-point lead for Purdue.

From there, it was a couple of key stops and made free throws as the Boilermakers pulled away for the 82-72 win. Though it was far from pretty, it was a gritty and hard-earned win for Purdue while bouncing back from its first defeat of the season.

Williams just missed posting a triple-double off the bench with a game-high 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. He also had 4 blocks and 2 steals. Jaden Ivey tied for the game-high with 22 points and 7 rebounds on 7-for-16 shooting.

The key to the game that nearly allowed the Wolfpack to pull off the upset was 3-point shooting. Even after getting cold late, NC State finished 8-for-21 from deep. By contrast, Purdue finished 5-for-21, but Stefanovic provided 2 of those triples late after a rough start to the game.

Now, Purdue will get a few days off to rest and regroup vs. another quality non-conference opponent. The Boilermakers will face on Saturday.