Pitt beats Wake Forest 81-69 in ACC Tournament
Ishmael Leggett scored 19 of his season-high 30 points in the second half and Pittsburgh turned away Wake Forest 81-69 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Friday, the fourth-seeded Panthers (22-10) will face top seed and No. 4-ranked North Carolina, a 92-67 winner over ninth-seeded Florida State earlier Thursday. UNC beat Pitt 70-57 in their only regular-season meeting on Jan. 2.
Leggett was 11-of-18 shooting, repeatedly driving hard to the hoop, and collected eight rebounds and five steals. Blake Hinson hit four 3-pointers and added 20 points with Jaland Lowe adding 11 points and five assists. The Pitt bench outscored Wake Forest's 39-0.
Cameron Hildreth led the fifth-seeded Demon Deacons (20-13) with 23 points. Hunter Sallis added 15 points, Andrew Carr 13 and Efton Reid III 12.
A 12-1 run over three minutes that Leggett kicked off with a 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 19-point lead with 13 minutes remaining.
Sallis hit consecutive 3-pointers and Hildreth added a three-point play to get the Demon Deacons back with eight midway through the half. A 3 by Hildreth cut the lead to four with 5 1/2 minutes remaining. The Deacons stayed within reach until Pitt went on a 10-2 game-ending run in the final two minutes, kicked off by a bucket underneath by Guillermo Diaz Graham and a Leggett drive.
Hinson scored five points and Leggett four in a 13-2 run that put Pitt ahead by 11 with nine minutes left in the half and the Panthers led 38-26 at the break.