PITTSBURGH — For nearly the entire game, it seemed as though Jeff Capel’s team couldn’t catch a break. Matched up at home against a ranked opponent, any sort of momentum Pitt could gather would be matched by the opposition.
That was until the very end. An 11-0 run in the game’s final two minutes lifted the Panthers to a thrilling 71-68 home victory over No. 20 Miami at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday afternoon in ACC play.
“I’m really proud of my team,” Capel said after the win. “We fought. We fought for 40 minutes. That’s something we talk about all the time. It’s not always going to be pretty, but as long as we’re together and we’re fighting for each other, the result at the end is beautiful.”
After looking like the superior offensive squad for the majority of the afternoon, the Hurricanes were held scoreless in the final 2:26 of regulation. Big shots from Jamarius Burton, Greg Elliott and Blake Hinson allowed the Panthers to claw their way back into the mix.
Hinson put the Panthers (15-7, 8-3) ahead for good after successfully sinking a follow-up layup on a miss in transition from Burton with just 26 seconds remaining. Hinson led the way for Pitt, scoring a game-high 21 points in the victory.
“A lot of momentum,” Hinson said when asked what he was feeling when he sunk his game-winning bucket. “The Oakland Zoo is a part of this team. It was great, and I know how it feels to be on the other end of that. From that point on, I knew we had all the momentum and it felt great.”
Burton and Elliott also played key roles, scoring 19 and 11, respectively. Burton also thrived in other areas of the game, contributing 10 rebounds and seven assists. The veteran guard ended the contest with his second double-double in the past four games.
Jordan Miller led Miami (16-5, 7-4) with 18 points in the loss. Isaiah Wong also had a strong afternoon, scoring 14 points and hauling in six rebounds.
Key stat
After an ugly first half from the field, Pitt recovered in a massive way for the final 20 minutes of action. The Panthers shot 48.8% from the floor in the second half, which included a 50% effort from 3-point-range.
Hinson was the catalyst in Pitt’s second-half scoring barrage, wracking up 14 of his 21 points after the break.
Quotable
12,508 people purchased tickets to support the Panthers in their victory over Miami, marking the program’s first sellout since 2019. Before he discussed anything that took place on the court, Capel opened his postgame press conference thanking the fans in attendance for the atmosphere they provided.
“First and foremost, I want to give a big-time shoutout to our student section, our crowd, everyone,” Capel said. “We felt them. They gave us energy. They were with us even when we didn’t play well, and our team felt it. We’re incredibly, incredibly grateful for that.”
Capel wasn’t the only member of the Pitt basketball program to thank the crowd after the win. Burton also expressed his praise to those who packed the Pete on Saturday afternoon, saying this year’s game atmospheres are a true sign of the program’s progress.
“I just have so much appreciation for this team and what we’re doing,” Burton said. “Last year, there weren’t that many fans in the building and that was in large part because we didn’t do our job. It’s just great to see that many people out there supporting us.”
Up next
With its three-game home stretch now in the rearview mirror, Pitt will hit the road for its next contest, which will take place Wednesday at North Carolina. The Tar Heels (15-6, 7-3) enter the battle red hot, winning their last four.
North Carolina will also be on the hunt for revenge against Capel’s squad, who came out on top in their first meeting on Dec. 30. Tip-off for round two is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.
