“Phenomenal,” Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said of Warren’s performance. “We’re not dead yet.”
Warren scored 26 points in the second half including 12 points during a 17-3 run that saw the Pack go from nine down to five ahead.
A driving layup by Warren tied it at 44 and a floater in the lane with 13:04 left put State on top 48-46 for the first lead change of the game.
Pitt cut the margin to one several times but never could tie or take the lead the rest of the way. With State ahead just 69-67 with more than two minutes to play, Warren fittingly scored four of the last five points of the game.
“He made so many shots one after another and the other guys recognized that,” Gottfried said. “It was still a great team win because so many guys did so many things.”
State, now 18-12 overall and 8-9 in the ACC, turned the ball over just six times and outrebounded Pitt 35-23.
The last Wolfpack player to score 40 or more points was Rodney Monroe in 1991.