Strong second half lifts Wake Forest over Pitt

Cameron Hildreth had 24 points and Hunter Sallis added 13 as the duo took over in the second half to lift the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to a 76-74 Atlantic Coast Conference win over the Pitt Panthers on Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Hildreth, who had a total of just six points on 2-for-13 shooting over the previous two games as he battled flu-like symptoms, scored 17 in the second half for Wake Forest (16-6, 8-3 ACC) while Sallis added 11. During one stretch, the tandem combined for 20 straight points.

Not to be outdone, Ty-Laur Johnson scored 12 of his season-high 16 points after the break for the Demon Deacons.

Damian Dunn paced Pitt (14-7, 5-5) with a season-high 24 points. Ishmael Leggett chipped in with 16, and Jaland Lowe scored 14 for the Panthers, who lost their fifth in seven games and dropped to 0-7 all-time at Wake Forest.

Pitt missed 10 of its first 13 shots to open the game, allowing Wake Forest to put together a 15-4 run and grab a 20-11 lead. The Panthers, though, responded with seven straight points to narrow the gap to two.

Dunn then pushed Pitt ahead with a 3-pointer late in the first half, helping the Panthers head into the break with a 36-34 edge.

Wake wasted no time taking control in the second half, using an 11-2 surge to take a four-point lead. Hildreth later buried a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound to extend the Demon Deacons' advantage to 53-45.

The Panthers would not fold, however, as Guillermo Diaz Graham hit a triple and then flushed a fastbreak slam as part of a seven-point scoring spurt to narrow the deficit to 53-52.

As they have all season for Wake, Sallis and Hildreth took over with under three minutes to play. A 3-pointer from Sallis gave the Demon Deacons a three-point lead. Then Hildreth leaked out for a fastbreak dunk off a defensive rebound to push Wake Forest's advantage to 70-65 with less than a minute remaining to help the Demon Deacons snap a two-game skid.

--Field Level Media