Pitt Falls to NC State in ACC Tournament

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers battled NC State throughout their second round ACC Tournament matchup, but couldn't keep up later on, falling 98-88.

Pitt had one of their better shooting games of the season, scoring their third most points of the year, but NC State matched them and more, scoring the second most on Pitt in the 2025-26 campaign and ending their season.

The Panthers finish the campaign 13-20 overall, marking the fifth season in program history with 20 losses and the second under head coach Jeff Capel.

Pitt also falls to 6-23 in the all-time series with NC State, including three straight defeats over the past two seasons and 5-13 in ACC Play.

Teams Go for 50+ Points in First Half

Pitt grabbed an early 8-2 lead from tip-off and also held leads of 14-7, 16-10, 24-28, 28-21 and 34-25 at the 7:49 mark.

The Panthers shot incredibly well from 3-point range, going 8-for-12 during this time, with guards in sophomore Nojus Indrusaitis making all three attemps, freshman Omari Witherspoon making both deep shots and senior guard/forward Barry Dunning Jr. adding two 3-pointers as well.

Pitt Panthers guard Omari Witherspoon — Mar 11, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Omari Witherspoon (8) passe the ball as NC State Wolfpack center Scottie Ebube (12) defends in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

NC State would then embark on a 13-0 run, with the first seven points coming from free throws, as they also added two 3-pointers, one each from guards in freshman Matt Able and sophomore Paul McNeil Jr., who also made four free throws.

The Panthers got into foul trouble early, with fifth year guard Damarco Minor, freshmen in forward Roman Siulepa and guard Macari Moore picking up two fouls and fellow freshman guard Omari Witherspoon making three fouls in the first half.

Where this showed up most in foul shots, even with NC State picking up nine fouls themselves to Pitt's 11, as NC State shot 20 free throws, making 16 of them, and Pitt shot just seven, making all of them.

Pitt stayed in the game, despite giving up the big run, outscoring NC State 16-13 to cut the deficit to just one point at halftime.

The Panthers shot impressively in the first half, including 60.7% from the field (17-for-28) and 9-for-16 (56.3%) from behind the arc, marking the most made 3-pointers in a game vs. an ACC opponent this season.

NC State shot even better, going 60.9% from the field (14-for-23) and 77.8% from 3-point range (7-for-9).

Senior forward Cameron Corhen and Indrusaitis led Pitt with 12 points each, with Indrusaitis converting a late and-one opportunity off a layup.

McNeil led the Wolfpack with 13 points, while seniors in forward Ven-Allen Lubin and guard Quadir Copeland were in double-digits with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.

NC State Builds Big Early Lead, Breaks Away From Pitt in Second Half

The Wolfpack went on a 10-1 run to start the second half, going up 61-51, and then increased their lead to 73-58 at the 13:30 mark, outscoring the Panthers 22-8.

NC State shot 8-for-10 during this period and Pitt turned the ball over five times and only had four shots. Copeland led his team with seven points and senior guard Tre Holloman hit two 3-pointers as well.

Pitt didn't back down, constantly cutting into the lead, with an 11-3 run that made it just a seven-point deficit at 76-69 with 11:12 remaining. NC State would get their lead back up to 12 points at 86-74, but got it back down to 88-81 at the final media timeout.

The Panthers got as close as five points, 88-83 with 3:55 remaining, but the Wolfpack scored six points and got it back up to an 11-point lead with two minutes to go, proving too much for the Panthers to make a late comeback.

Players of the Game

Pitt shot 57.1% in the defeat, second-best in a game this year, while making 12 3-pointers and shooting 20-for-25 from the foul line, 80%.

Corhen scored a career-high 27 points in his final collegiate game, shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 9-for-11 from the foul line, while also leading Pitt with seven rebounds.

Witherspoon also finished with a career-high for Pitt, scoring 19 points, including shooting 6-for-11 from the field, making three 3-pointers and adding four free throws.

Indrusaitis joined Corhen and Witherspoon with a career-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers in the loss.

Pitt struggled overcoming NC State, who shot 60.8% from the field, 56.5% from 3-point range (13-for-23) and 85.2% from the foul line (23-for-27).

Copeland led the Wolfpack with 24 points and Lubin scored 18 points, with neither player making a 3-pointer.

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