Cameron Hildreth had 24 points and Hunter Sallis added 13 as the duo took over in the second half to lift the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to a 76-74 Atlantic Coast Conference win over the Pitt Panthers on Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Hildreth, who had a total of just six points on 2-for-13 shooting over the previous two games as he battled flu-like symptoms, scored 17 in the second half for Wake Forest (16-6, 8-3 ACC) while Sallis added 11. During one stretch, the tandem combined for 20 straight points.

Not to be outdone, Ty-Laur Johnson scored 12 of his season-high 16 points after the break for the Demon Deacons.

Damian Dunn paced Pitt (14-7, 5-5) with a season-high 24 points. Ishmael Leggett chipped in with 16, and Jaland Lowe scored 14 for the Panthers, who lost their fifth in seven games and dropped to 0-7 all-time at Wake Forest.

Pitt missed 10 of its first 13 shots to open the game, allowing Wake Forest to put together a 15-4 run and grab a 20-11 lead. The Panthers, though, responded with seven straight points to narrow the gap to two.

Dunn then pushed Pitt ahead with a 3-pointer late in the first half, helping the Panthers head into the break with a 36-34 edge.

Wake wasted no time taking control in the second half, using an 11-2 surge to take a four-point lead. Hildreth later buried a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound to extend the Demon Deacons’ advantage to 53-45.

The Panthers would not fold, however, as Guillermo Diaz Graham hit a triple and then flushed a fastbreak slam as part of a seven-point scoring spurt to narrow the deficit to 53-52.

As they have all season for Wake, Sallis and Hildreth took over with under three minutes to play. A 3-pointer from Sallis gave the Demon Deacons a three-point lead. Then Hildreth leaked out for a fastbreak dunk off a defensive rebound to push Wake Forest’s advantage to 70-65 with less than a minute remaining to help the Demon Deacons snap a two-game skid.

–Field Level Media