Pittsburgh guard Ishmael Leggett, right, places a decal on the bracket after an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Ishmael Leggett scored 19 of his season-high 30 points in the second half and Pittsburgh turned away Wake Forest 81-69 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

Today, the fourth-seeded Panthers (22-10) will face top seed and No. 4-ranked North Carolina, a 92-67 winner over ninth-seeded Florida State earlier Thursday. UNC beat Pitt, 70-57, in their only regular-season meeting on Jan. 2.

Leggett was 11-of-18 shooting, repeatedly driving hard to the hoop, and collected eight rebounds and five steals. Blake Hinson hit four 3-pointers and added 20 points with Jaland Lowe adding 11 points and five assists. The Pitt bench outscored Wake Forest’s 39-0.

Cameron Hildreth led the fifth-seeded Demon Deacons (20-13) with 23 points. Hunter Sallis added 15 points, Andrew Carr 13 and Efton Reid III 12.

A 12-1 run over three minutes that Leggett kicked off with a 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 19-point lead with 13 minutes remaining.

Sallis hit consecutive 3-pointers and Hildreth added a three-point play to get the Demon Deacons back with eight midway through the half.

A 3 by Hildreth cut the lead to four with 5:30 minutes remaining. The Deacons stayed within reach until Pitt went on a 10-2 game-ending run in the final two minutes, kicked off by a bucket underneath by Guillermo Diaz Graham and a Leggett drive.

“It’s a testament to our whole season,” Leggett replied when asked about Wake Forest closing the gap on the 19-point lead. “We started the year 1-5 and here we are, about to play North Carolina in the semifinals. This is a special group. We know what it takes to win in these types of environment.”

Hinson scored five points and Leggett four in a 13-2 run that put Pitt ahead by 11 with nine minutes left in the half and the Panthers led 38-26 at the break.

“I am just tyring to be the best at my role with this team,” Leggett said. “Shoot for the sky and be the best you can be. If you don’t have togetherness, you won’t win. This team … we love each other and we are genuinely happy for each other when the other scores.”

Game notes: Pitt advances to the ACC Tournament semifinals for just the second time in program history. The Panthers are 1-1 all-time against the Tar Heels in the conference tournament. … The Panthers’ other semifinal appearance came as the five-seed in 2014 with Pitt falling to top-seeded Virginia, 51-48, after defeating 12th-seed Wake Forest and fourth-seeded North Carolina. ..With the win, Pitt improves to 8-10 all-time in the ACC Tournament and 2-1 in games played in Washington, D.C. … The Panthers have won 10 of their last 12 games and 12 of their last 15. … Leggett’s five steals are the most ever by a Pitt player in the ACC Tournament. Going 11-of-18 from the floor, the ACC Sixth Man of the Year’s 30 points are the most by a Pitt Panther in the ACC Tournament since Justin Champagnie did so on March 10, 2020, versus Wake Forest. … Leggett was the ACC Tournament’s first 30-point scorer to come off of the bench since Zach LeDay of Virginia Tech, who did so on March 8, 2017, versus Wake Forest. … Leggett’s 30 points was the fourth time in the 2024 ACC Tournament that a player has scored 30 points or more, marking the most since 1995 when six players scored 30 or more points. .. With four made 3-pointers, Hinson moved from seventh to third in Pitt’s history with 110 career made 3-pointers.

WAKE FOREST (20-13): Carr 3-8 7-9 13, Reid 5-6 1-1 12, Hildreth 8-14 5-7 23, Miller 2-7 2-2 6, Sallis 5-9 2-4 15, Friedrichsen 0-6 0-0 0, Marsh 0-0 0-0 0, Keller 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-50 17-23 69.

PITTSBURGH (22-10): Austin 0-2 0-0 0, Hinson 6-12 4-5 20, Federiko 1-1 0-0 2, Carrington 3-8 2-4 9, Lowe 2-7 7-8 11, Leggett 11-18 6-6 30, G.Diaz Graham 3-6 1-2 9. Totals 26-54 20-25 81.

Halftime–Pittsburgh 38-26. 3-Point Goals–Wake Forest 6-21 (Sallis 3-6, Hildreth 2-5, Reid 1-1, Miller 0-1, Carr 0-2, Friedrichsen 0-6), Pittsburgh 9-23 (Hinson 4-6, G.Diaz Graham 2-4, Leggett 2-6, Carrington 1-3, Austin 0-2, Lowe 0-2). Rebounds–Wake Forest 25 (Carr 9), Pittsburgh 26 (Leggett 8). Assists–Wake Forest 11 (Sallis 4), Pittsburgh 11 (Lowe 5). Total Fouls–Wake Forest 19, Pittsburgh 17. A–14,920