Michael O’Connell finished with 15 points and Breon Pass, a senior who has spent his entire career with North Carolina State, scored 14 points in his first career start as the Wolfpack pulled out a 71-63 victory against Pitt in the home finale Wednesday night in Raleigh, N.C.
Dontrez Styles notched 13 points. Ben Middlebrooks had 11 points and Marcus Hill added 10 points for the Wolfpack (12-18, 5-14 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had lost 14 of their previous 17 games.
Jaland Lowe’s 20 points paced Pitt (16-14, 7-12), but the Panthers lost their fourth straight game. Cameron Corhen posted 13 points and Ishmael Leggett tallied 12 points.
There were rare feel-good moments for the Wolfpack, who haven’t maintained the momentum generated by last year’s unexpected rise into the Final Four.
Styles grabbed 13 rebounds and O’Connell supplied eight assists. Pass drilled four of N.C. State’s 10 baskets from 3-point range.
NC State led by 11 points, but the Panthers didn’t allow the Wolfpack to become comfortable.
Pitt trailed 55-54 following Lowe’s three-point play with slightly less than five minutes to play. Ben Middlebrooks countered with a three-point play on NC State’s next possession to set up the final stretch that included the teams trading baskets.
O’Connell’s 3-pointer lifted the Wolfpack to a 63-58 edge before Lowe’s drive for a basket at the other end.
Middlebrooks made two free throws with 2:18 left and teammate Jayden Taylor sank two more at the 39-second mark before Lowe ended Pitt’s nearly two-minute scoring drought.
Pass made three 3-pointers in his first 12 minutes Wednesday, creating a career-high for long-range baskets. His nine first-half points led all players as NC State was up 34-30 at the break.
The Wolfpack finished at 40.7 percent from the field but made up for that by going 17-for-21 on free throws. Pitt shot 41.2 percent and committed 14 turnovers.
Pitt went 0-4 in four visits to the state of North Carolina this season and the Panthers will be back for next week’s ACC tournament in Charlotte.
–Field Level Media
