Quadir Copeland scores 24 and NC State beats 15th-seeded Pittsburgh 98-88 in the ACC Tournament

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Quadir Copeland had 24 points and eight assists, Ven-Allen Lubin added 18 points and No. 7 seed N.C. State beat 15th-seeded Pittsburgh 98-88 on Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

N.C. State (20-12) advances to play No. 2 seed and 10th-ranked Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

N.C. State led 51-50 at halftime as both teams shot over 60% from the field and had three players in double-figure scoring. The Wolfpack went 7 of 9 from 3-point range, while Pitt was 9 of 16.

N.C. State began the second half on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 63-52 before Pitt made its first field goal at the 16:31 mark. Matt Able made the Wolfpack’s 11th 3-pointer — in just 15 attempts — for a 76-62 lead.

The officials upgraded to a flagrant-1 foul with 2:13 remaining after Lubin was pushed from behind on an alley-oop attempt. Lubin made both free throws to give N.C. State a 92-83 lead and Paul McNeil Jr. made it a four-point possession for an 11-point lead on an easy layup.

McNeil finished with 15 points, Tre Holloman had 14, and Darrion Williams and Able each scored 12 for N.C. State.

Cameron Corhen scored a career-high 27 points for Pittsburgh (13-20). Nojus Indrusaitis added a season-high 19 points and Omari Witherspoon also scored 19.

Pitt reached its season average for made 3-pointers in a game with 8:40 left in the first half when Indrusaitis made his third straight and the Panthers’ eighth in 12 attempts for a 34-25 lead.

The Panthers finished 12 of 27 behind the arc, while the Wolfpack went 13 of 23.

N.C. State lost both regular-season matchups with Virginia this season, most recently a 90-61 contest on Feb. 24.

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