Pitt
14-7,5-5ACC
Wake Forest
16-6,8-3ACC
Panthers Fall in Hard Fought Affair at Wake Forest, 76-74
2/1/2025 3:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Damian Dunn scored a season-high 24 points, and the Panthers battled back from early foul trouble before falling to Wake Forest, 76-74, Saturday afternoon in a tightly contested ACC game.
Ishmael Leggett added 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Jaland Lowe finished with 14 points and five boards as Pitt moves to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the ACC. Wake Forest (16-6, 8-3 ACC) got 24 points from Cameron Hildreth, while Ty-Laur Johnson (16) and Hunter Sallis (13) also scored in double figures. Sallis scored nine of his 13 points in the final eight minutes of action, including a pair of big buckets in the final three minutes to hold the Panthers off.
Pitt fell behind 20-11 with 9:48 left in the opening half as turnovers fueled a quick 6-0 run by the Demon Deacons. Dunn snapped the run with a three-point play and added another lay-in off a Wake Forest turnover as the Panthers climbed back to 20-16 in an 18 second span. Lowe added a stepback jumper on the next possession to cap off a 7-0 Pitt run.
The Panthers defense held Wake Forest without a field goal for over five minutes of action but the Demon Deacons were able to pull ahead 29-24 as they went 7-of-9 from the foul line from the 8:15 mark until 3:10 left in the half. Pitt was saddled with foul trouble as Dunn, Corhen, Guillermo Diaz Graham, and Zack Austin were each whistled for two fouls before the under four media timeout.
Dunn led the Panthers back with seven points in a span of 2:15, with his wing three at the 1:20 mark giving Pitt a 33-32 lead and forced a Wake Forest timeout. Ty-Laur Johnson scored on a baseline finish as Wake regained the lead briefly but Lowe countered by converting all three free throws after being fouled on an attempt late in the shot clock to send the Panthers into the break with a 36-34 advantage.
Pitt's backcourt trio of Dunn (14), Leggett (8), and Lowe (7) combined for 29 of 36 points in the opening half. The Panthers shot just 43.3 percent from the field (13-of-30), including 2-of-8 (.250) from three-point range, but was able to grab an 18-10 advantage on points in the paint.
The Panthers grabbed a five-point lead early in the second half on a Dunn three but Wake Forest made three triples over a three 2:45 span to grab a 45-41 lead with 15 minutes left in the contest. The Demon Deacons grabbed their largest lead of the half (8) on a Cameron Hildreth three with 12:45 remaining, but Pitt countered with a 7-0 run to force a timeout with Wake Forest holding a narrow 53-52 lead at the 11:25 mark. Guillermo Diaz Graham drilled a three from the top of the key and then finished a dunk on the break to cap the run.
Lowe's stepback three at the top of the key brought the Panthers within 63-61 with 4:48 remaining and Austin converted a pair of free throws following the under four media timeout to tie the contest. Hunter Sallis hit a back of big shots late in the shot clock, including a three at the buzzer to spot the Demon Deacons to a 68-65 lead with 1:50 remaining.
Johnson went 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final 25 seconds of play to seal the game.
DAME TIME
Dunn topped the 20-point mark for the second time this season finishing with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field (3-of-5 3FG) and 5-of-5 from the foul line. He went 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line to finish with 14 points, two assists, and a steal in the opening half of play. He scored seven points in the final 3:35 of action despite playing with two fouls.
FINE AT THE LINE
For the second time this season, Pitt made all of its foul shots in a game. The Panthers were a perfect 20-of-20 from the line with Austin extending his consecutive made free throws streak to 23, while Leggett went 8-of-8 from the line to also reach 23 consecutive makes.
BACK ON THE BOARDS
The Panthers fell in a game when they won the rebounding battle (28-27) for the first time this season. Pitt limited Wake Forest to just three offensive rebounds and had a 14-5 advantage in second chance points.
UP NEXT
Pitt has a quick turnaround with a home game against Virginia Monday, Feb. 3. Tipoff from the Petersen Events Center is set for 7 p.m.
