The NC State men’s basketball team beat the Pitt Panthers 65-62 in PNC Arena on Sunday, Feb. 28 to complete the season sweep of the Panthers and for a fourth straight win.
The Wolfpack (12-9, 8-8 ACC) built a 10-point halftime lead and led by as many as 14 in the second half before the Panthers (9-10, 5-9 ACC) crept back and made it a tight game, but NC State was able to pull it out for the program’s 12th straight win over Pitt.
“What a good, grind-it-out game,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “I told our guys that you’re going to have to figure out how to win every kind of game. Some games you could be up big, some games you might be down. I thought that was a great test for us because it was back and forth.”
After a back-and-forth opening few minutes, NC State went on a 14-3 run between the 11-minute mark and the four-minute mark in the first half to take a 26-14 lead before taking a 31-21 lead into halftime. It wasn’t a pretty half for either team, but the NC State defense was the difference as it held Pitt to just 23.3% from the field.
After Pitt cut the lead to four in the opening minutes of the second half, the Pack went on a 12-2 run to take a 45-31 lead, which ended up being the largest lead of the game. Senior guard Braxton Beverly played a key role in the run as he scored seven points, including two 3-pointers.
“I think we’re definitely playing really confident basketball,” Beverly said. “It’s really coming from practice… We’re getting in the gym, we’re working, we’re encouraging each other, we’re going hard every day, and it’s starting to show.”
The Panthers then woke up and scored the next six points, all of which came from star forward Justin Champagnie. The two teams went back and forth over the next few minutes before the Panthers cut the lead to three with nine minutes left.
It would remain a single-digit game all the way to the end, with the Panthers never getting closer than three. Ultimately, free throws sealed the deal for NC State as freshman guard Cam Hayes and junior forward Jericole Hellems combined to knock down five game-clinching free throws in the final minute.
“Right now, I think we’re playing pretty good basketball,” Hellems said. “I think there’s always some things you can fix and improve on, but right now, we’re together as a team and just trying to get better every day.”
Four players for NC State finished in double figures as Hellems led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, Beverly had 14, redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk had 13 and redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates had 10 to go along with six blocks. The Pack didn’t have a great shooting day as it shot 39.1% from the field and was outrebounded 45-31, but the team made 24 free throws and was able to hold the Panthers to 35.1% from the field.
A noticeable difference in the game was that it was the first home game of the season in which students and other fans were allowed, which the team enjoyed.
“It felt great to have some fans in there and to get a little energy besides the bench,” Hellems said. “It’s always good to have fans, and we appreciate them coming out.
Next up, the Pack travels to take on Notre Dame on Wednesday, March 3 before finishing out the regular season with a home game against Virginia Tech on Saturday, March 6.
