RALEIGH — The adage goes that a basketball game isn't over until the final second disappears from the clock.

In a heartbreaking loss Sunday, N.C. State learned the truth of that age-old maxim.

Florida escaped the RBC Center with a 62-61 overtime victory after Chandler Parsons heaved a 3-pointer from 75 feet and nailed it at the buzzer. His remarkable shot splashed through the net as the backboard lights illuminated to hand the Wolfpack (10-4) a disappointing loss just as it had seemed to pull out a hard-fought victory.

Parsons, a 6-foot-9 reserve forward, collected a rebound off a missed free throw by State's Farnold Degand, who clanked the second of two free throws off the rim after making the first for a 61-59 lead with 2.6 seconds remaining. Parsons, who leaped high to snag the long board, took two dribbles and heaved his shot from the blue RBC Center logo on the court.

He was tackled to the floor by his ecstatic teammates while State players looked on in awe that such a rainbow prayer could fall through the nets and snatch away a seemingly sure thing. Spectators in the announced crowd of 17,207 didn't know whether to kick or scream, so they just stood around for some time after the game, trying to explain the improbable.

"I'd be lying if I felt that it looked good going in or I felt that I had it," Parsons said. "I was trying to make sure that I got it off in time."

He did despite Farnold swiping a hand over his head.

"We should have had someone cut him off, [make him] spin to take a couple more dribbles before he took the shot," State's Javier Gonzalez said. "He took a clean shot. Who knows how many times he's going to make that in his career again? But he made it. We've got to live with it."

State must live with a loss in which it made 22 of 55 field-goal attempts (40 percent) and 10 of 19 free throws (52.6). The Pack was outscored 34-24 in the paint, committed 14 turnovers and tied the Gators with 41 rebounds.

Tracy Smith, State's leading scorer, finished with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds. Gonzalez had 13 points, six rebounds and six turnovers.

Still, State fans were ready to credit Gonzalez for the victory after his late-game performance, forcing overtime and scoring seven key points to help the Wolfpack build its lead in overtime.

With State down by two points and less than a minute left in regulation, Gonzalez forced overtime with a follow-up layup. Darting in the lane, the point guard grabbed a rebound off a missed layup by Dennis Horner and put it in to tie the score at 48-48 with 32 seconds left.

As he backpedaled on defense, Gonzalez pounded on his chest. In overtime, he showed more heart, scoring the first five points of the extra period and helping the Pack put the Gators down by hitting two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining.

To open overtime, Gonzalez nailed a 3-pointer to give the Pack a 51-48 lead and then followed that with a layup.

But Parsons' shot erased all of those good deeds. It will be a hard lesson to swallow, but Gonzalez said the team will learn from it.

"That's teaching us that we've got to play to the last second," he said. "We kind of relaxed, we didn't stop the ball. He's going to throw up a shot from the other side of the court. 'He's going to miss that,' that's what we're thinking. But as you can see ... he made it. Crazy things can happen."

State coach Sidney Lowe said his team's defense was "solid" for most of the game, adding that the Pack struggled on offense at times and was inconsistent at the free-throw line, especially down the stretch.

"We needed to make our free throws and then get in front of the guy," Lowe said of Parsons' shot. "We just had a situation like that against Arizona, and we let the guy go the length of the floor. We can't have that happen."

Florida 62, N.C. State 61 (OT)

Percentages: FG .377, FT .700. 3-point goals: 3-24, .125 (Parsons 1-4, Walker 1-7, Boynton 1-7, Shipman 0-1, Tyus 0-1, Werner 0-4). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 2 (Tyus, Macklin). Turnovers: 9 (Tyus 2, Walker 2, Parsons 2, Boynton, Shipman, Macklin). Steals: 12 (Walker 4, Parsons 3, Werner 2, Boynton 2, Shipman). Technical fouls: none.

Percentages: FG .400, FT .526. 3-point goals: 7-22, .318 (Wood 4-8, Gonzalez 2-6, Degand 1-2, Williams 0-1, Mays 0-1, Howell 0-1, Horner 0-3). Team rebounds: 1. Blocked shots: 3 (Gonzalez, Wood, Vandenberg). Turnovers: 14 (Gonzalez 6, Howell 2, Wood, Williams, Mays, Horner, Degand, T. Smith). Steals: 7 (Mays 2, Gonzalez, Howell, Williams, Degand, T. Smith). Technical fouls: none.

Att.-17,207. Officials-Gary Maxwell, Tony Greene, Roger Ayers.

edward.robinson@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4781