NC State men's basketball guard Jericole Hellems (left) and forward DJ Funderburk (right) celebrate after defeating Pittsburgh 77-73 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020.
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NC State Claws Back in Must-Win Game vs. Pitt

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RALEIGH – The Pittsburgh Panthers stepped into PNC Arena Saturday, Feb. 29, and tested the N.C. State Wolfpack from start to finish.

N.C. State trailed for the majority of the game; however key figures such as D. J. Funderburk, with 14 points, as well as C. J. Bryce and Jericole Hellems, with 16 points each, fought hard to keep the Wolfpack in the game.

Two consecutive defensive stands and a 3-pointer from Hellems with 6:55 left in the second half gave the Wolfpack enough momentum as they defeated Pittsburgh 77-73 in a must-win game for a team sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

“It was a great team win for us for several reasons,” said Wolfpack third-year head coach Kevin Keatts. “… We found a way to win a game when weren’t playing really good basketball. The last five, six, minutes of the game is when we started to play.”

As a freshman, N.C. State’s Manny Bates notched his first double-double with 13 points 10 rebounds and five block which set his career-high in scoring and rebounding. His energy made the difference, as this defensive stopper contributed a lot on the offensive end today. 

“I love the way that Manny Bates played,” Keatts said. “His play with Markell Johnson hitting him diving down the lane and (he) finished with his left hand, was one of the biggest plays of the game.”

Pittsburgh came into Raleigh shooting a poor 29 percent from the 3-point line. However, the Panthers started today hot from the beyond the arch as they made three-of-four 3-pointers to start the game. They controlled the pace of the game, until a string of bad turnovers, and missed shots allowed for N.C. State to shrink the margin. 

This was a game of turnovers. Pitt (15-15, 6-13 ACC) and N.C. State (18-11, 9-9 ACC) each racked up 17 disturbing ball-handling mistakes. This contest was marked by many fouls, which would ultimately separate the two teams in the end. The Wolfpack shot 20-of-27 from the free-throw line while Pitt shot 15-of-27.

Panther sophomore wingman Au’Diese Toney was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points and he grabbed six rebounds. Panther sophomore guard Xavier Johnson and freshman wingman Justin Champagnie scored in double-digits with 13 and 10 points.

What’s Next

The Panthers play their last regular-season game in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Wednesday, Mar. 4, at 9 p.m.

N.C. State walks into Cameron Indoor Stadium for round two against the Duke Blue Devils Monday, Mar. 2 at 6 p.m.

(Feature image courtesy of Landon Bost)