Pitt Beats Wake Forest in ACC Quarterfinals

The Pitt Panthers kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with their win over Wake Forest.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Pitt Panthers' entire season culminated against Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday. In a battle of NCAA Tournament bubble teams, a loss would've sent the Panthers home with virtually no chance of making the field while a win would've kept them alive for another day. 

With its back against the wall, No. 4 seed Pitt met the challenge and defeated the No. 5 seed Demon Deacons 81-69 in a physical contest that almost slipped from its grasp. Ishmael Leggett played hero for the Panthers as he recorded a season-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting while the team as a whole shot 48.1% from the field. Pitt held Wake Forest to 28.6% from three-point range and were able to handle a ferocious comeback attempt on its way to a crucial win. 

Federiko Federiko scored for the Panthers on their first possession of the game before Leggett drilled the first three by either side at the 15:59 mark. Pitt carried a 10-9 lead into the first media timeout at the 14:18 mark despite Wake Forest making four-straight field goals up to that point. 

Leggett recorded baskets on back-to-back trips down the floor out of the stoppage before a Guillermo Diaz Graham three extended the Panthers' lead to 17-12 at the 12:59 mark going into the second media timeout of the contest. 

Blake Hinson followed up a Leggett second chance layup by converting a block into a deep three-pointer, making it 22-14 while Steve Forbes was called for a technical foul. An 8-0 run for Pitt grew its advantage to 25-14 as the Demon Deacons called a timeout at the 8:36 mark. 

Wake Forest trimmed its deficit to 25-18 while the Panthers endured a scoring drought of over two minutes. A Bub Carrington turnaround jumper snapped them out of the funk while a Leggett layup pushed the lead back to 29-20 ahead of a media timeout at the 3:21 mark. 

Carrington's first three of the game gave Pitt a double-digit lead before Cameron Hildreth responded with a layup on the other end. Diaz Graham and Jaland Lowe punched back, however, scoring on consecutive possessions as the Panthers widened their lead to 37-23 at the 1:29 mark. 

Hunter Sallis nailed his first field goal of the game at the 1:12 mark, but Pitt held firm and took a 38-26 lead into halftime. 

The Panthers were efficient on the offensive end in the first half, shooting 46.7% from the field and 40% on 15 attempts from behind the arc. They also came away with six offensive rebounds while garnering 18 points from their bench, making it a teamwide affair. 

On the defensive end, Pitt held the Demon Deacons to 3-of-11 shooting from three-point range while forcing eight turnovers over the first 20 minutes. 

Leggett led the Panthers with 11 first half points with Hinson trailing behind with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting while Hildreth paced Wake Forest with 10 points of his own. 

A Hinson step back three set the tone early in the second half, but a Demon Deacons 7-0 run brought Pitt's lead down to 41-33. A Leggett three-pointer over Efton Reid at the top of the key made it 46-35 before the first media timeout of the half at the 16:21 mark. 

Another Hinson triple grew the margin to 51-36 as the Panthers embarked on a 12-1 run. Wake Forest was able to cut it to 55-40 leading into the second media timeout at the 11:12 mark as Pitt was in the midst of a two-minute-long scoring drought. 

A pair of threes for Sallis followed by a Hildreth and-one made it 57-49 with 9:06 remaining in the contest. Lowe turned a Hinson block into a transition layup, stretching the Panthers' lead to 59-49 ahead of a media timeout at the 7:50 mark. 

An Andrew Carr and-one further trimmed it to 61-56 for the Demon Deacons as they continued to apply pressure on Pitt's defense. A tough finish by Leggett at the rim gave the Panthers some momentum, but a Hildreth corner three made it 63-59 at the 5:31 mark. 

Leggett and Carr traded second chance layups as the score held at 67-64 with 3:22 left in the contest. Leggett later nailed a pair of free throws that pushed the Pitt lead to 71-65, though Carr also responded with a pair of his own to bring it back to 71-67. 

Diaz Graham and Leggett followed with clutch layups as the Panthers' advantage extended to 75-67 at the 1:24 mark. 

Pitt fended off Wake Forest from there as the game clock ticked down to zero, moving it into the semifinals of the ACC Tournament against No. 1 seed North Carolina while also seeing a boost in its chances of an appearance in the Big Dance. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Pitt Aided by Atlantic 10 Tournament Upset

Pitt's Potential ACC Semifinal Opponent Set

Former Pitt QB Signs With Saints

NC State Win Lifts Pitt's NCAA Tournament Resume

Kansas State, Cincinnati Make Pitt's NCAA Tournament Path Harder

Lunardi: Loss Would Kill Pitt's NCAA Tournament Chances

• Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt