N.C. State did more than extend its season for at least another day with its 59-57 victory over Clemson Thursday night in the ACC tournament.

The Wolfpack salvaged at least a bit of state pride, becoming the only one of three North Carolina teams to win on the first day at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The victory sends the Wolfpack (18-14) against Florida State tonight at approximately 9:30.

For the Wolfpack, it was a triumph of style even if it wasn't always particularly stylish. Intent on bleeding the clock on offensive possessions to get both good shots and grind down the Clemson defense, N.C. State made it work.

"We showed excellent patience in not forcing shots," Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said. "We forced a couple early and we learned from it. We wanted to make them play defense longer."

The result was a 52 percent shooting night for the Wolfpack, which was led by Tracy Smith's 19 points. It was a continuation of a late-season trend with the Wolfpack, which has become more comfortable with its patient approach.

It was made more effective by the Wolfpack's dominance on the boards, outrebounding Clemson 34-25. While Clemson's Trevor Booker had 17 points and eight rebounds, the impact was neutralized by the Wolfpack's ability to slow the Tigers' running game.

"They played tough, Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. "They persevered and they withstood the runs we made at them."

For Clemson (21-10), the loss means waiting until Sunday evening when it seems assured of a third straight NCAA tournament bid. The Tigers were ranked 27th in the national RPI ratings entering the game.

Down the stretch, the Wolfpack kept counterpunching when the Tigers pushed closer. With nine seconds remaining, C.J. Williams, a 60 percent free throw shooter, made both ends of a one-and-one to put the Wolfpack ahead 59-54.

Clemson's Demontez Stitt answered with a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to keep the Tigers' hopes alive but only briefly.

"It seemed like every time we got close, N.C. State made a really good play or a big basket," Purnell said.

The Tigers' difficulties started early. They went 7 minutes, 38 seconds without a field goal in the first half, falling behind 18-11. Though Clemson was fortunate the margin wasn't wider, the poor shooting and turnovers prevented the Tigers from setting their full-court pressure, which generates much of their offense.

When the Tigers put on their press, N.C. State wobbled but didn't fall.

"We showed good composure against a lot of pressure," Lowe said.

While it couldn't change N.C. State's season, it helped change the feel, at least Thursday night.

"We've had our ups and down this season but we played hard for 40 minutes," Tracy Smith said. "We didn't play for 20. We didn't play for 30. We played for 40 minutes. It was a big win."

Now comes the challenge of sustaining the effort and the discipline against Florida State, which thrives on aggressive defense. Lowe doesn't expect that to be a problem.

"What we have to do is stay patient like we have the last four or five games," Lowe said. "We're making teams play defense for long periods of time. Our guys are starting to understand that."