Talib Zanna added 15 points and nine rebounds for Pittsburgh (13-1, 1-0), which trailed by 15 early. Michael Young added a career-high 13 points, and the Panthers held the Wolfpack to 29.6 percent shooting in the second half.

T.J. Warren led North Carolina State (10-4, 0-1) with 23 points and eight rebounds. Ralston Turner was the only other Wolfpack player in double figures, adding 11 points off the bench.

The Wolfpack used a 15-0 run - capped by Warren's shot-clock beating 3-pointer and back-to-back jumpers - for a 17-2 lead 5 1/2 minutes in. Pittsburgh answered with a 15-4 run to cut the lead to 21-17 with just over six minutes left but BeeJay Anya stopped the Panthers' spree with back-to-back dunks.

The Panthers hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the second half before putting together a 22-6 run to take a 54-44 lead with about 12 minutes left. Patterson later beat the shot clock with a 3 for a 13-point lead and, after Turner helped get the Wolfpack within 66-58 with a 3-pointer, James Robinson had back-to-back layups to put Pittsburgh ahead 70-58 with less than three minutes remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pittsburgh shot 33.3 percent in the first half but hit 10 of its first 12 shots in the second half and finished the game at 48.1 percent. ... Warren has scored at least 21 points in 10 straight games. ... Patterson had three buckets during the big second-half run and Young capped it with a layup and fast-break dunk.