With a 57-41 lead with nearly six minutes remaining in the game, N.C. State (6-2) appeared to be in complete control against Temple (3-3) on Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum.

But the Owls would have a chance to win or tie the game, down 59-57, with seconds remaining.

After two missed free throws by junior forward Khadijah Whittington and a Temple timeout, senior forward Kemesha Hairston took an inbounds pass with 1.9 seconds left, drove to the hoop and shot a 12-foot jump shot. She floated forward and heaved the ball at the hoop. The ball never had a chance and it gave the Wolfpack its third straight win.

According to interim coach Stephanie Glance, the later part of the game wasn’t pretty, but it got the victory.

“Well, we did enough to win the game,” Glance said. “We’ll take it.”

Glance said the team has to do a better job of holding on to leads when the have them.

“When we get ahead, we have to learn to keep our poise, execute and get stops,” Glance said.

Hairston, who missed the game’s final shot, finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds. By halftime, she already had a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.

Glance said Hairston was the team’s initial focus. In the first half, senior guard Ashley Key spent a lot of the half on her — followed by senior forward Keisha Brown. However, in the second half, the team switched to a zone defense.

“The interesting thing is that we were really focused on her in the first half, but she had a double-double shortly into the game,” Glance said. “We still kept our focus on her in the second half, but it was out of a different kind of defense. She’s the key to their team.”

After trailing for a good portion of the first half, State would go on an 8-0 run to end the half after a two-pointer and a pair of threes. The run put the Pack up 29-27.

“It was critical,” Glance said. “It gave us the momentum going into halftime. I think it made everybody feel better — made the team feel better. Everybody is happy going into the locker room instead of thinking ‘Oh goodness, what are we going to do in the second half?'”

The run continued until midway through the second half. During the 13-minute run, State outscored Temple 33-12.

During that span, Brown knocked down four three-point shots. For the game, she went 4-of-5 from behind the arc and finished with a team high 14 points.

“Coach Glance emphasizes that if you shoot 50 – 80 percent from a specific spot, then put it up,” Brown said. “So, that’s what I tried to do. I just tried to put it up there.”

Along with Whittington and senior forward Sasha Reaves, Glance said Brown has been playing much more consistently lately.

“They’re stringing some games together now that are getting some consistency. And that’s exactly what we need from our returners. So it’s making a huge difference.”

While Brown did finish the game with three turnovers, the team limited itself to only 14 turnovers on the day.

“Our turnovers were pretty good for this game,” Glance said. “Anytime you stay under 15, that’s a pretty good goal.”

The game was the second of the team’s six-game home stand. Next up for the Pack is Winthrop on Monday at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.