NCAA Tournament: No. 9 Temple 76, No. 8 N.C..

NCAA Tournament • Temple nearly let a 17-point lead slip away.

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Dayton, Ohio • Khalif Wyatt scored 31 points, finishing the game with an injured left thumb that had him grimacing before his clinching free throws, and Temple broke with its one-and-done NCAA Tournament trend Friday, beating North Carolina State 76-72 in the second round of the East Regional.

The ninth-seeded Owls (24-9) opened a 17-point lead before Wyatt — the Atlantic 10's player of the year and top scorer — hurt his left thumb and left the game briefly, returning with black tape on the non-shooting hand.

Every shot was an adventure, but he made enough, including six painful but perfect free throws in the final 32 seconds, to keep Temple around for more than one game. The Owls had lost their opener in four of their last five NCAA trips.

No. 8 NC State (24-11) trailed most of the game and came up short of a deep tournament run on the 30th anniversary of its national title. —

NCAA Tournament: No. 9 Temple 76, No. 8 N.C. State 72