Headline: Pitt overcame a first-half drought to make virtually everything in the second half and overwhelm an inferior Notre Dame team for a 70-60 win.
The teams: Pitt (14-8, 5-6 ACC) vs. Notre Dame (7-15, 2-9 ACC)
Game MVP: Bub Carrington wasn’t Pitt’s leading scorer, but he put up 16 points in limited playing time due to foul trouble and made a pair of huge three’s to help break a slump and give the Panthers the go-ahead in the first half.
There’s always a drought: Pitt has made a habit of going through scoring droughts, especially in the first half of games lately, and that was the case Saturday night as the Panthers scored just 10 points in the first 14 minutes, making 4-of-18. Pitt went five minutes between baskets at one point and had two other three-minute scoreless stretches.
But droughts always end: When Pitt broke out of its slump, it did so in a big way. Starting with an alley-top bucket from Guillermo Diaz Graham as the clock ticked under six minutes, the Panthers made 6-of-8 to finish the first half, turning a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead keyed by a pair of three-pointers from Carrington.
A sparkling second half: Pitt played possibly its best half of the season in the second half of the win over Wake Forest on Wednesday, but Saturday’s performance wasn’t far off. The Panthers shot 12-of-23 (52.2%) from the floor and 6-of-10 (60%) from the floor after halftime against Notre Dame to score 42 points. The only blemish was that Pitt committed eight turnovers; otherwise, the Panthers could do no wrong in the second half.
A turnaround from three: Pitt missed its first nine three-point attempts, but the Panthers hit 10 of their next 16 shots from deep.
Playing with fouls: Carrington picked up his second foul at the 10:27 mark of the first half and went to the bench, but at 5:22, Jeff Capel brought him back in and Carrington responded by making a pair of three’s to help Pitt get a lead.
Carrying over to the second half: Carrington’s foul issues continued in the second half, as he played less than four minutes before picking up his third violation. He came back in at the 9:53 mark and got called for a fourth foul two minutes later. Carrington returned with 4:44 left in the game but didn’t last two minutes, picking up his fifth foul at the 3:05 mark. The freshman standout did his damage, though, scoring 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three. It was the second time in Carrington’s career that he has fouled out and just the sixth time he has committed three or more fouls in a game this season.
Jeffress at center: Pitt had a lot of success using Will Jeffress at center on Wednesday night, and Jeff Capel did it a bit on Saturday, too. Jeffress logged a little less than three minutes at the five in the first half and then played there for the final 5:18.
Win No. 300: On November 23, 2002, the Pitt men’s basketball team beat Duquesne in the Panthers’ first game at the Petersen Events Center. 21 years, two months and 11 days later, Pitt recorded win No. 300 in the building on Saturday night. The wins came a bit slower in recent years, but the Panthers’ record of 300-91 at home since 2002 is still impressive.
The four scorers: Pitt had four players score in double figures, and it was the quartet the Panthers need to get production from: Blake Hinson scored 17, Carrington had 16, Leggett scored 12 and Jaland Lowe added 11.
The six starters: Jeff Capel likes to say that he considers Ishmael Leggett a starter even though the Rhode Island transfer plays off the bench. Before Pitt took the court for the second half on Saturday night, the starters huddled - and there were six, as Leggett joined Hinson, Carrington, Lowe, Zack Austin and Federiko Federiko. Leggett then went to the bench before taking the floor at the 16:01 mark and playing the rest of the way.
A good crowd: Attendance was officially announced at 10,864, and while that number may or may not be accurate, it certainly felt like a crowd from the early years of the Petersen Events Center and was probably one of the best pro-Pitt crowds the Panthers have seen all season.
Headed in the right direction: After losing four out of five to start the primary portion of the ACC schedule, Pitt has now won four out of five.
Up next: Pitt will play at N.C. State on Wednesday night at 7 pm.
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