Pitt withstood numerous offensive onslaughts from North Carolina and outscored the Tar Heels 14-2 in the final five and a half minutes to secure a much-needed 73-65 win in ACC play.
Teams: Pitt (14-6 overall, 5-4 ACC) vs. UNC (13-9 overall, 6-4 ACC))
Rankings (as of 1/28):
Pitt - NET 35, KenPom 34
UNC - NET 40, KenPom 38
Stat leaders:
Jaland Lowe - 18 points, 6/15 FG, 3/6 3FG, 6 rebounds, 7 assists
Zack Austin - 15 points, 5/7 FG, 3/5 3FG, 3 rebounds, 5 blocks
Ishmael Leggett - 15 points, 4/12 FG, 1/5 3FG, 6/6 FT, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
RJ Davis - 16 points, 6/12 FG, 3/6 3FG
Seth Trimble - 10 points, 12 rebounds
The Austin show
Zack Austin wasn’t Pitt’s leading scorer, but it’s hard to argue that any other player had a bigger impact. The senior forward scored 15 points on a tidy 5-of-7 shooting - including 3-of-5 from three - and the scoring was timely: two of his three made three-pointers came in the final five minutes, and both took Pitt from trailing to leading. And two of his five blocks came in the final 90 seconds to help keep UNC in check.
Big finish to the first half
UNC looked poised to take the momentum into halftime with a 10-point lead in the final tow minutes of the first half. But Lowe had other ideas. First, he drove for a layup. Next, he collected a loose ball after RJ Davis slipped, sprinted down the court on a fast break and drained a three. And finally, he got a pass from Leggett on a fast break and drained another three to send the Panthers to the locker room trailing by two.
Big finish to the second half
Even more impressive than Pitt’s run at the end of the first half was how the Panthers won the game. Pitt was down 63-59 as the clock ticked under six minutes, but once Jeff Capel brought Jaland Lowe back on the court, everything went the home team’s way. The Panthers followed two Leggett free throws with two Austin three’s, a Cam Corhen score in the paint and four more Leggett free throws.
Meanwhile, UNC went ice cold. The Tar Heels made one of their 11 field goal attempts in that span (three of those misses were blocks) and committed two turnovers. It all translated to a 14-2 run for the Panthers, which led to the eight-point victory.
Second-half defense
Pitt didn’t shoot all that well in the second half - 8-of-24 for 33.3% - and UNC actually made more shots (nine) than the Panthers did. But Pitt’s defense in the second half, highlighted by five blocks and five steals, truly won the game.
After UNC shot 6-of-13 from three in the first half, the Tar Heels made just one of their 11 attempts from beyond the arc after halftime. Austin said after the game that the coaches changed their defensive approach in the locker room and had the Panthers switch more on screens, and he credited that change with the defensive improvement.
Whatever Pitt did certainly worked, as UNC scored just 21 points in the half.
Foul shooting
Pitt may not have shot well in the second half, but the Panthers did make some clutch shots from the free throw line. Pitt was 11-of-13 from the stripe in the second half, including Legggett going 6-of-6, Austin going 2-of-2 and Lowe hitting 3-of-4 (the other miss came from Corhen, who was 4-of-4 from the line in the first half).
High-percentage first half
While the second-half shooting numbers weren’t great for Pitt or UNC, both teams were pretty hot in the first 20 minutes. The Tar Heels scored 44 points in the first half on 17-of-30 shooting (56.7%), including a 6-of-13 mark from three (46.2%). Pitt wasn’t far behind, shooting 16-of-31 from the field (51.6%) and making 11-of-18 from inside the arc.
UNC’s high shooting percentage in the first half was driven largely by some impressively streaky shooting. The Tar Heels made seven of their first nine attempts in the game, only to follow that with six consecutive missed shots - after which they made six more in a row.
Playing from behind
Trailing in the first half is nothing new for Pitt; this team has done it a lot, including every one of the Panthers’ first nine ACC games (counting the win over UNC).
On Tuesday night, not only did Pitt trail by as many as 10 before halftime, but the Panthers were behind for almost all of the game. UNC officially held the lead for 28:40, while Pitt was ahead for just 9:56.
The Panthers didn’t score for more than 2:30 at the start of the game and didn’t take their first lead until there was less than eight minutes left in the first half; on the next possession, UNC went back in front and held the lead through the rest of the half and the first 4:20 of the second half.
At that point, Pitt took a one-point lead that was relinquished less than two minutes later. The Panthers took the lead back and held it past the halfway point of the second half, but UNC got back in front with nine minutes to play and stayed there until Pitt took the lead for good with 2:34 left in the game.
Up next
Pitt will take its two-game winning streak to Wake Forest on Saturday for a noon tip-off that will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Deacons are 15-6 overall and 7-3 in the ACC after losing their last two, including Tuesday’s loss at Louisville.
Teams: Pitt (14-6 overall, 5-4 ACC) vs. UNC (13-9 overall, 6-4 ACC))
Rankings (as of 1/28):
Pitt - NET 35, KenPom 34
UNC - NET 40, KenPom 38
Stat leaders:
Jaland Lowe - 18 points, 6/15 FG, 3/6 3FG, 6 rebounds, 7 assists
Zack Austin - 15 points, 5/7 FG, 3/5 3FG, 3 rebounds, 5 blocks
Ishmael Leggett - 15 points, 4/12 FG, 1/5 3FG, 6/6 FT, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
RJ Davis - 16 points, 6/12 FG, 3/6 3FG
Seth Trimble - 10 points, 12 rebounds
The Austin show
Zack Austin wasn’t Pitt’s leading scorer, but it’s hard to argue that any other player had a bigger impact. The senior forward scored 15 points on a tidy 5-of-7 shooting - including 3-of-5 from three - and the scoring was timely: two of his three made three-pointers came in the final five minutes, and both took Pitt from trailing to leading. And two of his five blocks came in the final 90 seconds to help keep UNC in check.
Big finish to the first half
UNC looked poised to take the momentum into halftime with a 10-point lead in the final tow minutes of the first half. But Lowe had other ideas. First, he drove for a layup. Next, he collected a loose ball after RJ Davis slipped, sprinted down the court on a fast break and drained a three. And finally, he got a pass from Leggett on a fast break and drained another three to send the Panthers to the locker room trailing by two.
Big finish to the second half
Even more impressive than Pitt’s run at the end of the first half was how the Panthers won the game. Pitt was down 63-59 as the clock ticked under six minutes, but once Jeff Capel brought Jaland Lowe back on the court, everything went the home team’s way. The Panthers followed two Leggett free throws with two Austin three’s, a Cam Corhen score in the paint and four more Leggett free throws.
Meanwhile, UNC went ice cold. The Tar Heels made one of their 11 field goal attempts in that span (three of those misses were blocks) and committed two turnovers. It all translated to a 14-2 run for the Panthers, which led to the eight-point victory.
Second-half defense
Pitt didn’t shoot all that well in the second half - 8-of-24 for 33.3% - and UNC actually made more shots (nine) than the Panthers did. But Pitt’s defense in the second half, highlighted by five blocks and five steals, truly won the game.
After UNC shot 6-of-13 from three in the first half, the Tar Heels made just one of their 11 attempts from beyond the arc after halftime. Austin said after the game that the coaches changed their defensive approach in the locker room and had the Panthers switch more on screens, and he credited that change with the defensive improvement.
Whatever Pitt did certainly worked, as UNC scored just 21 points in the half.
Foul shooting
Pitt may not have shot well in the second half, but the Panthers did make some clutch shots from the free throw line. Pitt was 11-of-13 from the stripe in the second half, including Legggett going 6-of-6, Austin going 2-of-2 and Lowe hitting 3-of-4 (the other miss came from Corhen, who was 4-of-4 from the line in the first half).
High-percentage first half
While the second-half shooting numbers weren’t great for Pitt or UNC, both teams were pretty hot in the first 20 minutes. The Tar Heels scored 44 points in the first half on 17-of-30 shooting (56.7%), including a 6-of-13 mark from three (46.2%). Pitt wasn’t far behind, shooting 16-of-31 from the field (51.6%) and making 11-of-18 from inside the arc.
UNC’s high shooting percentage in the first half was driven largely by some impressively streaky shooting. The Tar Heels made seven of their first nine attempts in the game, only to follow that with six consecutive missed shots - after which they made six more in a row.
Playing from behind
Trailing in the first half is nothing new for Pitt; this team has done it a lot, including every one of the Panthers’ first nine ACC games (counting the win over UNC).
On Tuesday night, not only did Pitt trail by as many as 10 before halftime, but the Panthers were behind for almost all of the game. UNC officially held the lead for 28:40, while Pitt was ahead for just 9:56.
The Panthers didn’t score for more than 2:30 at the start of the game and didn’t take their first lead until there was less than eight minutes left in the first half; on the next possession, UNC went back in front and held the lead through the rest of the half and the first 4:20 of the second half.
At that point, Pitt took a one-point lead that was relinquished less than two minutes later. The Panthers took the lead back and held it past the halfway point of the second half, but UNC got back in front with nine minutes to play and stayed there until Pitt took the lead for good with 2:34 left in the game.
Up next
Pitt will take its two-game winning streak to Wake Forest on Saturday for a noon tip-off that will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Deacons are 15-6 overall and 7-3 in the ACC after losing their last two, including Tuesday’s loss at Louisville.
Last edited:
