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GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Devon Daniels scored 23 points to help North Carolina State beat Pittsburgh 73-58 in Wednesday's second round of the New York Life Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
C.J. Bryce added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Wolfpack (20-12), who finally broke free of the Panthers with a run of five straight scoring possessions starting near the 9-minute mark. Daniels scored on a pair of floaters in the lane during the spurt, which allowed the Wolfpack to stretch a six-point lead to 65-51 with 6:36 left.
That lead grew to as much as 20 down the stretch, with the Wolfpack shooting 48% for the game despite making just 4 of 16 3-pointers.
Daniels finished a basket shy of matching his career high, while Markell Johnson added 11 assists as the point for the Wolfpack.
Xavier Johnson scored 15 points to lead the Panthers (16-17), though he was whistled for a flagrant foul early in the second half -- his fourth foul of the game -- for hitting Daniels in the face with a forearm on a drive to the basket.
Trey McGowens added 12 points for Pitt, which shot just 29% after halftime and 35% for the game.
BIG PICTURE
Pitt: The 13th-seeded Panthers advanced to this game by beating No. 12 seed Wake Forest on Tuesday in the tournament's opening game. And they had led for more than 30 minutes of a Feb. 29 road loss to the Wolfpack, so they had reason to feel confident. But Pitt never led in this one, while freshman Justin Champagnie had just nine points on 4-for-13 shooting after going for a season-high 31 points against the Demon Deacons a day earlier.
N.C. State: This game wasn't about helping the Wolfpack's NCAA Tournament resume so much as avoiding damage to it. N.C. State entered sitting at No. 54 in the NCAA's NET rankings with four wins in Quadrant 1 games to sit atop its resume. A strong second-half performance Wednesday ensured Kevin Keatts' club would get at least another chance to help its resume.
NOTES:
NC State (20-12) advances to Thursday’s 2:30 pm. quarterfinal game versus fourth-seeded Duke (25-6). The teams split regular-season meetings, with the Wolfpack winning 88-66 at home on Feb. 19 and the Blue Devils countering with an 88-69 decision in Durham on March 2.
NC State improved to 73-56 all-time in the ACC Tournament and 27-24 in ACC Tournament games played in Greensboro. The Wolfpack is 8-8 as a No. 5 seed.
Pitt (16-17) is now 6-7 all-time in ACC Tournament play and 2-4 in the second round. The Panthers are 3-3 in ACC Tournament games played in Greensboro.
Wednesday marked the first-ever ACC Tournament meeting between a No. 5 and a No. 13 seed.
With Wednesday’s victory, NC State clinched its third consecutive 20-win season under head coach Kevin Keatts and its 34th as an ACC member.
NC State junior Devon Daniels led all scorers with 23 points and has now reached double figures in 14 of his last 16 games. Daniels, who hit 9 of 14 shots from the floor, fell just two points shy of his career scoring high set Feb. 19 in the win over Duke.
Wolfpack senior point guard Markell Johnson handed out 11 assists. Johnson leads the ACC in assists and has handed out at least 10 in seven games this season.
Xavier Johnson’s 15 points led Pitt, and Trey McGowens added 12.
Johnson, McGowens and freshman Justin Champagnie have combined for 64 double-figure scoring games this season.