Pitt fell behind early but controlled the second half to earn the season sweep of Syracuse with a 80-69 win over the Orange at the Petersen Events Center Tuesday night.
Teams: Pitt (16-10, 7-8 ACC) vs. Syracuse (11-16, 5-11 ACC)
Stat leaders
Ishmael Leggett - 19 points, 6/14 FG, 3/5 3FG, 7 rebounds
Zack Austin - 19 points, 8/10 FG, 4 rebounds
Jaland Lowe - 17 points, 5/10 FG, 6/6 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Chris Bell (Syracuse) - 23 points, 7/15 FG, 7/12 3FG
Storylines
The standard first-half deficit
As always, Pitt fell behind by a lot in the first half on Tuesday night, trailing Syracuse 22-6 at one point. That marked the eighth time in 15 ACC games this season that the Panthers have trailed by double digits in the first half. 16 points tied for Pitt’s second-biggest first-half deficit in an ACC game this season; the Panthers also trailed Cal by 16 on New Year’s Day, and they were down 20 to Virginia and SMU.
Second half bounce-back
As was the case in some of those games with big first-half deficits - specifically Cal and the home game against North Carolina, when Pitt trailed by 10 - the Panthers turned the deep hole into a win on the strength of an impressive second half.
Against Syracuse on Tuesday, Pitt shot 15-of-24 (62.5%) in the second half, scored 46 points and even out-rebounded the Orange 19-11. It wasn’t a perfect half - the Panthers still committed six turnovers - but it was pretty close and ultimately led Pitt to a victory.
Pitt’s first lead
Syracuse scored the game’s first basket one minute and 22 seconds into the first half, and the Orange held that lead all the way until the 9:28 mark of the second half, when Leggett hit a three-pointer to give Pitt its first lead.
The Panthers then built on that lead with a Cam Corhen paint bucket and another Leggett three, capping a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to seven.
The Panthers’ best
Pitt’s best player in the current two-game winning streak has been Leggett, the senior guard who put up a double-double with 21 and 10 against Miami on Saturday and followed that with 19 and seven to beat Syracuse Tuesday night.
All told, Leggett is averaging 20 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 48% from the floor and 5-of-7 from three in the two wins over Miami and Syracuse.
The X-factor
Leggett has been Pitt’s best player in the last two games, but Austin has been every bit as important on both ends of the court. Never a focal point of the offense, Austin has scored 30 points in the last two games while shooting 11-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three, in addition to grabbing 14 rebounds and recording three assists and four blocks.
Freshman surging
If any player has seen the biggest increase in his opportunities from Damian Dunn’s season-ending injury, it has been freshman Brandin Cummings. Cummings got the start in Saturday’s win over Miami, and he has played 30+ minutes in each of the last two games.
Cummings has also made the most of that playing time, scoring 11 points in each game on 6-of-16 shooting, and he has established himself firmly within the guard rotation.
A thin rotation
Three minutes into the second half, Jeff Capel subbed Cummings for Cam Corhen; after that, Cummings came out for two minutes in the final 17, while Leggett, Austin and Lowe played every minute in the second half. Corhen and Guillermo Diaz Graham split time in the second half, with Corhen logging 13 minutes and Diaz Graham playing 10.
Bombs away
Syracuse came into Tuesday night’s game shooting 32% from three on the season and averaging 6.3 made three-pointers per game. Against Pitt, the Orange eclipsed that average in the first half alone, making 9-of-16 from deep, good for 56.3%.
Syracuse looked more like itself in the second half, making just 5-of-17 from deep, but junior forward Chris Bell never really cooled off. Bell came into Tuesday shooting 33.7% from three and averaging 1.35 makes per game; against Pitt, he shot 7-of-12 from three. That set a new career high for Bell in three-pointers made, and his 23 points were also a career high.
Season sweep
Pitt’s win on Tuesday night completed the Panthers’ season sweep of Syracuse - Pitt’s third sweep of the Orange since the two teams joined the ACC in 2013. Syracuse swept the season series last year, but Pitt won both games against the Orange two seasons ago.
Up next
Pitt will look to take its winning streak to three on Saturday when the Panthers go to South Bend to face Notre Dame for a 2:15 pm tipoff.
Teams: Pitt (16-10, 7-8 ACC) vs. Syracuse (11-16, 5-11 ACC)
Stat leaders
Ishmael Leggett - 19 points, 6/14 FG, 3/5 3FG, 7 rebounds
Zack Austin - 19 points, 8/10 FG, 4 rebounds
Jaland Lowe - 17 points, 5/10 FG, 6/6 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Chris Bell (Syracuse) - 23 points, 7/15 FG, 7/12 3FG
Storylines
The standard first-half deficit
As always, Pitt fell behind by a lot in the first half on Tuesday night, trailing Syracuse 22-6 at one point. That marked the eighth time in 15 ACC games this season that the Panthers have trailed by double digits in the first half. 16 points tied for Pitt’s second-biggest first-half deficit in an ACC game this season; the Panthers also trailed Cal by 16 on New Year’s Day, and they were down 20 to Virginia and SMU.
Second half bounce-back
As was the case in some of those games with big first-half deficits - specifically Cal and the home game against North Carolina, when Pitt trailed by 10 - the Panthers turned the deep hole into a win on the strength of an impressive second half.
Against Syracuse on Tuesday, Pitt shot 15-of-24 (62.5%) in the second half, scored 46 points and even out-rebounded the Orange 19-11. It wasn’t a perfect half - the Panthers still committed six turnovers - but it was pretty close and ultimately led Pitt to a victory.
Pitt’s first lead
Syracuse scored the game’s first basket one minute and 22 seconds into the first half, and the Orange held that lead all the way until the 9:28 mark of the second half, when Leggett hit a three-pointer to give Pitt its first lead.
The Panthers then built on that lead with a Cam Corhen paint bucket and another Leggett three, capping a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to seven.
The Panthers’ best
Pitt’s best player in the current two-game winning streak has been Leggett, the senior guard who put up a double-double with 21 and 10 against Miami on Saturday and followed that with 19 and seven to beat Syracuse Tuesday night.
All told, Leggett is averaging 20 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 48% from the floor and 5-of-7 from three in the two wins over Miami and Syracuse.
The X-factor
Leggett has been Pitt’s best player in the last two games, but Austin has been every bit as important on both ends of the court. Never a focal point of the offense, Austin has scored 30 points in the last two games while shooting 11-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three, in addition to grabbing 14 rebounds and recording three assists and four blocks.
Freshman surging
If any player has seen the biggest increase in his opportunities from Damian Dunn’s season-ending injury, it has been freshman Brandin Cummings. Cummings got the start in Saturday’s win over Miami, and he has played 30+ minutes in each of the last two games.
Cummings has also made the most of that playing time, scoring 11 points in each game on 6-of-16 shooting, and he has established himself firmly within the guard rotation.
A thin rotation
Three minutes into the second half, Jeff Capel subbed Cummings for Cam Corhen; after that, Cummings came out for two minutes in the final 17, while Leggett, Austin and Lowe played every minute in the second half. Corhen and Guillermo Diaz Graham split time in the second half, with Corhen logging 13 minutes and Diaz Graham playing 10.
Bombs away
Syracuse came into Tuesday night’s game shooting 32% from three on the season and averaging 6.3 made three-pointers per game. Against Pitt, the Orange eclipsed that average in the first half alone, making 9-of-16 from deep, good for 56.3%.
Syracuse looked more like itself in the second half, making just 5-of-17 from deep, but junior forward Chris Bell never really cooled off. Bell came into Tuesday shooting 33.7% from three and averaging 1.35 makes per game; against Pitt, he shot 7-of-12 from three. That set a new career high for Bell in three-pointers made, and his 23 points were also a career high.
Season sweep
Pitt’s win on Tuesday night completed the Panthers’ season sweep of Syracuse - Pitt’s third sweep of the Orange since the two teams joined the ACC in 2013. Syracuse swept the season series last year, but Pitt won both games against the Orange two seasons ago.
Up next
Pitt will look to take its winning streak to three on Saturday when the Panthers go to South Bend to face Notre Dame for a 2:15 pm tipoff.
