DAYTON, Ohio (Interstat) — In a taut, back-and-forth affair that came down to the final possession, the Texas Longhorns edged the North Carolina State Wolfpack 68-66 on Tuesday night in a men’s NCAA Division I playoff game at University of Dayton Arena.

A crowd of 11,756 saw Tramon Mark sink a mid-range jumper with one second remaining to lift Texas to the narrow victory, capping a second half that featured seven ties and nine lead changes. The Longhorns improved to 19-14, while the Wolfpack’s season ended at 20-14.

The game’s defining sequence unfolded in the final 30 seconds. With the score knotted at 66, North Carolina State’s Tre Holloman missed the second of two free throws with 18 seconds left, giving Texas the ball with a chance to hold for the last shot. After a timeout, the Longhorns worked the clock down before Mark created space just inside the foul line and connected on the game-winner. The Wolfpack’s desperation heave at the buzzer was not close.

Mark, a junior guard from Dickinson, Texas, led all scorers with 17 points, including the final four for Texas. His backcourt mate, Dailyn Swain of Columbus, Ohio, added 13 points and four assists, playing a team-high 37 minutes. The Longhorns’ interior presence was provided by 7-foot Lithuanian center Matas Vokietaitis, who contributed 15 points, several key rebounds, and a crucial first-half block.

North Carolina State was paced by the dynamic wing duo of Darrion Williams and Quadir Copeland. Williams, from Sacramento, California, scored a team-high 21 points on an array of jumpers and drives. Copeland, from Philadelphia, added 16 points and three assists, repeatedly attacking the basket to keep the Wolfpack offense afloat. Paul McNeil chipped in 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers.

The contest was characterized by physical defense and offensive struggles, with both teams shooting below 40 percent from the floor. Texas built its largest lead of the game at nine points late in the first half, taking a 30-21 advantage after a Vokietaitis free throw. But the Wolfpack closed the period on an 8-0 run, capped by a Ven-Allen Lubin layup off a Williams assist, to trim the deficit to 30-29 at halftime.

The second half was a tense chess match. Neither team led by more than four points. Copeland’s driving layup and subsequent free throw gave North Carolina State a 45-41 edge with just under eight minutes to play, but Texas responded with a 7-0 spurt, highlighted by a Swain layup and free throws from Vokietaitis and Mark.

The lead changed hands five times in the final five minutes. A Holloman free throw put the Wolfpack up 56-55 with 4:37 left. Chendall Weaver answered with a floating jumper for Texas. After a Copeland turnover, Weaver was fouled and made both free throws to give the Longhorns a 59-56 lead with 2:56 remaining.

North Carolina State fought back. McNeil drilled a deep three-pointer from the wing off a Holloman assist to tie the game at 59 with 1:30 on the clock. Following a Texas turnover, Williams connected on another three-pointer, this time from the corner with 1:06 left, putting the Wolfpack ahead 62-59 and sending the pro-NC State crowd into a frenzy.

Texas called timeout and executed perfectly out of the break, finding Mark for a quick jumper to cut the lead to one. After a defensive stop, the Longhorns tied the game at 62 on a free throw from Swain with 37 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Williams struck again, hitting his third three-pointer of the half to put NC State back up 65-62 with 30 seconds remaining.

The Longhorns raced downcourt, and Mark calmly drained a jumper to make it 65-64 with 25 seconds left. Texas immediately fouled Holloman, who made the first free throw but missed the second, setting the stage for Mark’s final heroics.

The victory was a measure of redemption for Texas, which had lost three of its last four games entering the postseason, including a regular-season finale defeat to Mississippi. North Carolina State, which had defeated Texas 102-97 in a high-scoring affair back in November, saw its season end in heartbreaking fashion after a resilient comeback effort fell just short.

Texas advances to face BYU on Thursday in Portland, Oregon.