In Raleigh, North Carolina, N.C. State bolstered their chances of securing a place in the upcoming ACC Tournament with a victory over Pittsburgh, concluding the game with a final score of 71-63 on Wednesday night. Michael O’Connell led the charge with 15 points, while Dontrez Styles delivered an impressive double-double performance.
Breon Pass contributed notably with 14 points, and Styles not only added 13 points but also matched his career-best with 13 rebounds. Ben Middlebrooks scored 11 points and Marcus Hill, off the bench, added 10. Styles had similarly dominated the boards earlier in the season on January 6 against DePaul with his 13-rebound feat.
For Pittsburgh, Jaland Lowe was the top scorer with 20 points, while Cameron Cohren and Ishmael Leggett added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Currently positioned in 16th place in the 18-team league, N.C. State (12-18, 5-14) is vying for one of the 15 available spots in the ACC Tournament. Meanwhile, the Panthers (16-14, 7-12) are aiming for a top-nine finish, which would award them a bye for the first round of the tournament.
The Wolfpack entered halftime ahead 34-30 and widened their lead to 46-35 early in the second half thanks to a layup by Hill with 14:48 remaining. However, a scoring drought of over three minutes gave Pittsburgh a chance to mount a 7-0 run, bringing the game closer. Cohren closed the gap to 46-42 with two successful free throws at the 11:43 mark.
Lowe further narrowed Pitt’s deficit to 55-54 with a three-point play at 4:56, but that was as close as the Panthers would get.
The regular season wraps up for both teams on Saturday with Pitt hosting Boston College, while N.C. State travels to face Miami.
