Quadir Copeland helps NC State rally past Pitt

Quadir Copeland supplied 20 points and nine assists to help rally visiting North Carolina State to an 81-72 Atlantic Coast Conference victory Saturday over Pittsburgh.

Paul McNeil Jr. scored all 15 of his points on triples as the Wolfpack (14-6, 5-2) overcame rough starts to both halves.

Ven-Allen Lubin contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds to help deliver NC State its fourth straight road win. The last time the Wolfpack won their first four ACC road games was in their 1973-74 NCAA championship season.

NC State overcame the scrappiness of Pitt, which won the battle of the boards 52-31 and scored more second-chance points 24-8.

Roman Siulepa finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Damarco Minor scored all 13 of his points in the second half as Pitt (8-12, 1-6) lost for the sixth time in its last seven games.

Barry Dunning Jr. delivered 12 points and nine rebounds, while Cameron Corhen added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers who committed 14 turnovers.

Pitt made 36.8% of its shots from the floor and went 11 of 29 (37.9%) from beyond the arc. The Panthers also struggled from the free throw line, making 11 of 25 (44%).

With the temperature outside at tip-off at 7 degrees, both teams got off to a frigid start. While the Panthers missed their first eight shots, the Wolfpack failed to hit on their first six attempts.

During the first media timeout, NC State coach Will Wade lit into his team, but the Wolfpack were still slow to respond. Siulepa hit a 3-pointer from in front of the NC State bench to trigger a seven-point run which put Pitt up 13-4.

Nearly 9 minutes into the game, Tre Holloman scored just the second field goal of the game for the Wolfpack. Copeland followed with back-to-back three-point plays as NC State drew even at 13-13.

It remained close, with neither team leading by more than six points until the second half when Minor made a fastbreak dunk and followed with a 3-pointer that put Pitt up 52-45 with 12:55 left.

But the game's decisive 12-0 run came later in the half, ignited when Lubin made a layup and McNeil later followed with back-to-back 3-pointers.

When Copeland made two free throws to complete the spurt, the Wolfpack had a 66-58 lead with 5:10 left. After that, NC State never led by fewer than five points.

--Field Level Media