The Pittsburgh Panthers (9-16, 4-10) came into Saturday afternoon having lost to the NC State Wolfpack (10-15, 3-11) 12 straight times dating back to 2014. In a game that both teams needed to win to climb out of the cellar in the ACC standings, it was the home team that prevailed, 71-69.
Neither team was able to pull away during the opening minutes. N.C. State hunted three-point opportunities early in the contest while Pitt settled for a lot of long two-pointers. Despite that, the Panthers found themselves with a one-point lead going into the under-8 media timeout, 22-21. However, Mouhamadou Gueye picking up his second foul at the 12:47 mark in the first half That sparked an 8-0 run by the Wolfpack coming, highlighted by a controversial no-call on a potential over-and-back, that pushed them out in front by seven. The Panthers were only able to cut into that margin by a field goal and trailed, 26-31 at the half.
Pitt shot just 28.6% from the floor as a team with every starter not named John Hugley shooting worse than that. They did outrebound NC State 20-15 and it was one of the reasons they were able to head to the locker room down just five. However, the Wolfpack got pretty much whatever they wanted on the offense end. Seven of the eight players that saw the floor recorded points.
The Panthers came out fast to start the second half. A 10-2 run propelled them in front on the back of two, three-pointers and an empathic dunk by Gueye from Hugley. Of course, nothing ever comes easy with this Pitt team. A 10-point lead at the 12:24 mark quickly turned into a one-point deficit less than three minutes later thanks to a Dereon Seabron steal and dunk. He would go on to score 10 of NC State’s next 12 points, pushing his squad ahead, 58-57 with 3:49 left in the game.
A switch to a zone defense by the Panthers slowed the Wolfpack and Seabron down long enough for them to regain the lead. A layup through the entire defense by Ithiel Horton followed by a dunk attempt that saw him get fouled pushed Pitt in front by five points, 65-60. However, a costly turnover followed by a three-pointer by Jericole Hellems pulled his team within a possession.
The Panthers opted to not allow NC State to beat them with a triple, instead opting to foul. That seemed like a fair trade considering they were making both free throws on the other end. Ultimately, the strategy paid off and Pitt was able to leave the Petersen Events Center with a home victory.
Pitt shot 51.9% from the field in the second half which included 3-8 from beyond the arc. They were 23-25 from the free throw line including 14-14 after the break.
Hugley finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high six assists. Jamarius Burton and Horton each finished with 17 points. Seabron led the way for the Wolfpack with 17 points.
The Panthers have a chance to extend their winning streak to three but will need to go on the road against the North Carolina Tar Heels (18-7, 10-4) in order to do so.
