Pitt Drops Fourth In a Row, Falls to NC State 71-63

On Wednesday night, Pitt lost to NC State — who came into the matchup with just four league wins — on the road by a score of 71-63.

The Panthers entered the contest as a 1.5-point favorite for the game in Raleigh, however, after struggling to take care of the ball, the Panthers fell to the Wolfpack. Down by five points with one minute to play, Pitt was trying, once again, to battle back late in the game and come out with a victory. However, Ishmael Leggett turned the ball over for the second time down the stretch, throwing a pass by Jaland Lowe straight to head coach Jeff Capel, who caught the ball on the sidelines and shook his head.

Pitt kept the game within reach throughout the matchup, however, NC State had control from the six-minute mark in the first half and on. With 6:41 remaining in the first half, Marcus Hill made a layup for the Wolfpack, giving them a four-point lead. After Cam Corhen answered with a jumpshot, NC State went on a run. The Wolfpack quickly earned three points from Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and a three pointer off the hands of Breon Pass, extending the lead up to take an eight-point lead. Pitt fought back leading into the break, but went into the half trailing by four.

To open the second half, Pitt surrendered another run to NC State, this time, a 7-0 run.

From that point on, the Wolfpack never gave up the lead, even with the Panthers battling back. Jaland Lowe made a free throw with 4:56 left, converting an old-fashioned three-point play for Pitt and cutting the deficit to just one point. However, the Panthers could not tie the game or take the lead all half and fell to the Wolfpack after some costly late misses and turnovers.

Pitt fell to 16-14 with the loss, and now stands at 7-12 in ACC play. Jaland Lowe led Pitt in the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Cam Corhen added 13 points and Ishmael Leggett added 12. Pitt shot 41% from the field and 35% from three, while turning the ball over 14 times in the loss.

Pass finished with a career-high 14 points for the Wolfpack. Michael O’Connell led the way with 15 points, Dontrez Styles added 13, and Ben Middlebrooks contributed with 11 in the win.