Pitt squared off with NC State at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday afternoon looking to build on the momentum created by their 56-51 upset of Florida State on Wednesday, and the Panthers managed to pull off a 71-69 win in a thriller that came down to the wire.
In a welcome change of pace for Pitt, John Hugley opened the scoring for his team with a layup, responding to a Dereon Seabron dunk that put the first points on the board. Two possessions later, Hugley put on a fierce showing in the post, eventually gathering two offensive rebounds, drawing a foul and sinking both of his free throws to give Pitt an early 4-2 lead.