NC State basketball falls in down-to-the-wire game at Pitt. Wolfpack now 3-12 in ACC
This has been a year of firsts for N.C. State under Kevin Keatts. Unfortunately, most of them have not been good.
For the first time in the Keatts era, Pittsburgh defeated the Wolfpack in basketball. The Panthers handed N.C. State its sixth consecutive loss, 71-69, Saturday at the Petersen Events Center.
“I’m proud of the way my guys fought,” Keatts said. “We had some adversity on the road, we figured out a way to come back, took the lead a couple of times. We did some really good things, unfortunately we came out on the short end of the stick tonight.”
Heading into the matchup, the Wolfpack was 7-0 under Keatts against Pittsburgh. Historically, N.C. State was 20-2 against the Panthers. In most years when things have been down, the Pack could almost always count on a win over Pittsburgh.
This isn’t most years. N.C. State drops to 3-12 in ACC play and 10-16 overall. The Panthers’ (10-16, 5-10) previous win over the Wolfpack came in 2014 in Raleigh.
After Pittsburgh went up double figures late in the second half, N.C. State used a 13-4 run to make it competitive again. After a flurry of points and timing stops, Dereon Seabron tied the game with a layup while drawing a foul. His made free throw gave the Pack a 58-57 lead with 3:36 remaining.
After Femi Odukale put Pitt back in front with a slam, Seabron scored again on a layup, putting the Pack back in front. John Hugley allowed the Panthers to retake the lead, 61-60, with two free throws.
Jaylon Gibson turned the ball over on the next possession. Pittsburgh almost put it away with 1:46 remaining. Odukale hit what appeared to be a buzzer beating shot, but the officials ruled that the ball was still in his hand when the shot clock hit zero. That kept it at a one-point Pitt lead instead of four.
After an N.C. State turnover, Ithiel Horton hit two from the line to make it a five-point advantage with less than a minute remaining.
Jericole Hellems knocked down a 3 to make it a 2-point game with 28 seconds remaining. Horton got free again for a layup, but Thomas Alen hit a 3 with 11.2 to play to make it a 67-66 game in favor of the Panthers.
Horton, who scored 15 points in the second half for Pittsburgh, hit two more from the line with 11.2 remaining. Pittsburgh shot 23-of-25 from the foul line. The Panthers wisely fouled Seabron before he could attempt a 3. The sophomore hit both from the line to make it a one-point game with 4.9 remaining. Seabron was fouled with 1.2 left in the game, down three. He made the first and missed the second on purpose. Pitt grabbed the board and secured the home win.
The down-to-the-wire finish was nothing new for this series. In the Keatts era, all of the games have been decided by six points or fewer. Seabron led the Pack with 17 points, 15 coming in the second half. For the second straight game, though, the two other members of the N.C. State Big Three — Hellems and Terquavion Smith — struggled. Hellems played most of the game in foul trouble, finishing with 10 points in 23 minutes.
“It’s tough because we need older guys on the floor,” Keatts said. “We need him to be able to play.”
Smith was 2-12 from the floor, finishing with six points. Smith is 5-28 his last two games.
N.C. State’s bench scored 26 points, compared to just four from Pittsburgh. Allen had a season-high 14 points off the bench for the Wolfpack, including going 4-7 from 3.
In the first half, Allen and Cam Hayes came in and provided a spark, combining for 16 points. Hayes, though, went scoreless in the second half.
“I thought Thomas Allen came off the bench and gave us a really tremendous lift,” Keatts said. “He made some shots and it was good to see the ball go in for game, especially early.”
John Hugley led all scorers with 21 points. The Panthers 280 pound forward also grabbed 10 rebounds.
“I thought John Hugley made a difference down the stretch,” Keatts said. “Other than that I thought it was an even game.”
Hugley had 12 of his 21 in the second half.
In a season with more lows than highs, N.C. State has some work to do to work itself out of the ACC cellar. The Wolfpack and Georgia Tech are currently the only two ACC teams with three wins. N.C. State will face the Yellow Jackets on the road Tuesday.
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 5:18 PM.
