PITTSBURGH — Once again, Jeff Capel’s team had its back against the wall.
Following a rough showing in the first half against No. 11 Virginia where they entered the locker room down 33-23, the Panthers knew their only hope to compete in the final 20 minutes was to come out swinging.
For the second game in a row, against a ranked opponent, Pitt answered the bell. A strong surge out of the break allowed the Panthers (11-4, 4-0) to fight their way back into a key ACC contest Tuesday night and ultimately come out on top, defeating the Cavaliers (10-3, 2-2) by a final of 68-65 at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt fell into a hole in the first half after shooting just 32% from the field and turning the ball over against Tony Bennett’s well executed defense eight times. Blake Hinson carried the Panthers into the locker room with seven points, while only two other teammates of his – Jamarius Burton and Nike Sibande – successfully converted multiple field goals.
Pitt’s second half comeback was highlighted by a 14-0 run that began with just over 15 minutes remaining. Big efforts from Hinson, Burton and Sibande helped the Panthers find an offensive rhythm that was missing throughout the first half of action. Nelly Cummings also provided a spark, distributing the ball for open looks, while providing a notable effort on the defensive end.
Capel’s group took its first lead of the night with 10:47 remaining when Hinson kissed a put-back off the glass and through the net. Virginia battled back thanks to big shots from Kihei Clark, who carried his team throughout the entire night.
The two teams battled back and forth until a layup from Fede Federiko – who had eight points and a team-leading 11 rebounds – put the Panthers ahead for good with 59 seconds remaining. Hinson and Sibande tied with a team-high in scoring 16 points each. Burton also finished in double-figures, ending with 15 points.
Kihei Clark, Armaan Franklin, Reece Beekman and Kadin Shedrick each finished in double-figures scoring for Virginia, tallying 17, 14, 12 and 10 points respectively.
Key stat: After turning the ball over eight times in the first half, Pitt tightened up in a major way in the final 20 minutes, failing to give the basketball away a single time. The up-tick in efficient play was led by Cummings, who ended the game with eight assists and not a single turnover.
The absence of error was noticeable on the scoreboard, as Virginia lacked a source of reliable offense from turnovers. Pitt on the other hand capitalized on Cavalier mistakes, scoring 11 points off turnovers in the second half.
Big wins back-to-back: Pitt’s victories over North Carolina and Virginia mark the first time the program has won back-to-back games over a ranked opponent since February, 2011. The first of those two wins came on Feb. 7 over No. 25 West Virginia and the second against No. 9 Villanova. The Panthers were ranked No. 4 in the country during the time of those two wins.
Virginia’s streak snapped: Entering Tuesday evening, the Cavaliers last loss in regulation to the Panthers dated all the way back to 1974. Prior to its 68-65 win, Pitt’s other two victories that took place since 74’ were both in overtime, coming in 1975 and 2017.
Up next: The Panthers will wrap up their three-game home-stand Saturday as they host ACC foe Clemson at 4 p.m. The contest will be televised on ESPN U.
The Tigers (11-3, 3-0) are off to a hot start in their 2022-23 campaign and currently sit tied with the Panthers and Miami at the top of the conference standings. Clemson’s next contest will take place Wednesday evening, on the road against Virginia Tech.
