The rout was on for NC State right from the start, as the Wolfpack scored the game’s first 12 points and just kept pouring it on. NC State led by 15 after the first quarter, 32 at the break, and 48 after the third. Pittsburgh is the worst-shooting team in the ACC (in addition to being the worst team, period) and certainly looked like it today.
(It’s been a rough season in more ways than one for Pitt.)
The game turned into a bloodbath in the second quarter, with Pitt scoring only two points over the last
eight minutes, only getting that bucket in the final minute. As it turned out, the game-winning point came with 1:19 left in the first half—State could have scored zero points in the second half and still won by seven.
Zoe Brooks and Khamil Pierre led the offense in the first half, and Pierre had her 20th double-double of the season by halftime. Brooks finished with 20 points on 8-10 shooting inside the arc, while Pierre finished with 16. Zam Jones and Qadence Samuels also scored in double figures.
Devyn Quigley had another nice shooting performance off the bench, and if she can continue providing a boost to the perimeter scoring, that’d help a lot. Mallory Collier had the rare opportunity to play double-figure minutes and responded with eight points; it was nice to see her playing well, even it was garbage time.
Wes Moore couldn’t have asked for a better effort to take into the postseason, which begins now. NC State locked up the No. 4 seed in the ACC tournament, and the double-bye that comes with it.
