NC State Steals a Road Game at Pitt 81-72.

Game Summary:

The first half was brutal. It took NC State five minutes to score their first point. Pitt put on a clinic in offensive rebounding, leading the Wolfpack 14-2 at the half. Williams picked up his second foul early and only played 11 minutes. Copeland (10 pts) and Holloman (7 pts) kept the Wolfpack in the game, finishing the half on a mini run. Halftime score 34-33 Wolfpack.

The second half started much like the first, with the Panthers taking an early lead. But the Wolfpack defense forced 6 steals and totaled 9 Pitt turnovers in the second. The Pack finally took the lead on a McNeil 3PT shot with 6:20 left and pushed the lead out to 10 points hitting 8 of 9 shots to close the game. Final score 81-72. Four consecutive ACC road wins!

Overall Takeaways:

• Another slow start to a game.
• Pitt is a very physical team and they dominated the rebounding. NC State found a way to win.
• Once again, free throw shooting was a decisive factor. NC State outscored Pitt by 11 from the line.
• The Pack can win a game without Darrion Williams! He played only 26 minutes and contributed 7 points.
• NC State was out rebounded 52-31.
• The Wolfpack blocked 5 shots
• The Pack scored 22 points off 14 turnovers
• 7 of 8 players had at least one steal
• 5 of 8 players blocked a shot

Coach Wade Post Game Comments

(The team rushed to the airport to get back to Raleigh before the storm closes the airport. There will be an interview on the plane. It will be published later.)

Individual Highlights

• Quadir Copeland was outstanding. Led scoring with 20 points
• Ven Lubin with another double-double, leading rebounding with 12
• Quadir Copeland had 9 assists
• Musa Sagnia led steals with 3
• Paul McNeil shot well, 5-9 from 3PT

Player Stats and Box Score

Box Score