The Pitt Panthers rode a big second half effort to rally past Syracuse 77-73 on Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. The win snaps a four-game losing steak for the Panthers, and improves their record to 13-6 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.
Pitt was led by five players who reached double figures, led by sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe, who led the Panthers with 22. Ishmael Leggett (16), Cameron Corhen (12), and Damian Dunn (10) and Zack Austin (10) also contributed in the offensive efforts for Pitt.
Like in most of Pitt’s recent games, the Panthers fell behind in this one. Syracuse mounted an early 13-4 lead in the first half, and had Pitt playing from behind right away.
Pitt started to surge after halftime.
Jeff Capel’s team found a better rhythm in the second half, shooting 58% from the field with no turnovers. Pitt outscored Syracuse 45-40 after the break.
Syracuse built a lead and stayed with striking distance to the very end largely because of its efforts on the glass. The Orange won that department, 48-31. That effort was fueled by a Herculean effort from Eddie Lampkin, who finished with 10 points and 23 rebounds, the most by an ACC player all season.
Pitt missing some free throws down the stretch also kept Syracuse in the game longer. Lowe, the ACC’s best foul shooter, was 3-of-6 in the second half himself, as Pitt was 5-for-10.
The Panthers started the day No. 32 in the NET rankings, and with today’s win improved to 9-0 in Quad 3/4 games, keeping an ugly loss off of the resume
The ‘get right’ game
Pitt got off the hook from that ugly losing streak on Saturday, but did not have that complete ‘get right’ game maybe they were hoping to see after a week off from games. In the end, it does not matter. Winning road conference games are can be grinds, and Pitt was desperate for a win. The main objective was completed on Saturday.
The Panthers still started slow, got beat on the boards, two recurring issues, but there were still some positives. The offense looked good in the second half and Pitt only finished with three turnovers for the entire game. I think there are still some concerns about Pitt’s performance, but the good outweighed the bad.
Late game Lowe
Aside from his continued struggles from three-point range and some missed free throws late, Jaland Lowe strung together perhaps his best overall game in a few weeks. The sophomore had 22 points, six assists, and only one turnover in 34 minutes of action.
Lowe has shown takeover effect at times this season, and it was on display again in the second half. He scored 17 points in the game’s final 20 minutes. During a crucial stage early in the second half, Pitt went win a 10-2 run to take a little bit of a lead for the first time all game. Lowe scored 8 of the Panthers’ points in that stretch.
Dunn’s impact
When you consider your sixth man a sixth starter, then the expectations for his impact when he enters the game are high. Damian Dunn had a nightmare first half, picking up three fouls in five minutes. His second half went much better, scoring seven of his 10 points in the frame. Dunn was 3/3 from the field, and hit a critical three-pointer in the final 20 minutes. While an imperfect stat, his +/- was +8 for the game, the team leader in that department for a second straight game.
Two rotations
In some ways matchups dictated how Jeff Capel deployed his bench against Syracuse, but fouls also forced his hand a bit. Pitt used all ten players who regularly see action in the first half against on Saturday. Even Amsal Delalic notched playing time after not seeing the floor in four straight games.
Aside from Dunn’s 10 points and four from Jorge Diaz Graham, the trio of Papa Amadou Kante, Brandin Cummings, and Delalic did not score. In the second half, things got tighter. Starters Lowe, Leggett, Austin, and Corhen never left the floor. Dunn played 13 minutes, while Guillermo Diaz Graham played seven, keeping it to a six-man rotation. Pitt played better after the break when the starters and Dunn absorbed all the minutes.
Disparity on the boards
Eddie Lampkin entered Saturday as the ACC’s fourth leading rebounder at 8.3 per game. The Orange big man went above and beyond his usual rate against the Panthers. Lampkin recorded double-digit rebounding efforts eight times going into the Pitt game, but totaled a season-best with 23 boards. He was a force and spearheaded a 48-31 domination on the glass for his team. It marked the fifth consecutive game where Pitt has lost the rebounding battle, something that has been ailing this team mightily.
Freshly squeezed
Pitt lost both games to Syracuse last season. In hindsight, those are probably high contributing factors as to why the Panthers missed the NCAA Tournament.
With Saturday’s win, Pitt closed the gap in the all-time series to 76-51. The victory also was the Panthers’ 15th all-time in the JMA Wireless Dome, with a 15-23 record in the building.
Up next
Pitt is set to host North Carolina on Tuesday night for a 9:00 p.m. tip on ESPN at the Petersen Events Center. The Tar Heels entered the year No. 9 in the preseason AP poll, but are off to a disappointing 12-8 start to the season. Last season, North Carolina swept both matchups between the two teams, including a 72-65 victory in the ACC Tournament, ending Pitt’s season.
Pitt was led by five players who reached double figures, led by sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe, who led the Panthers with 22. Ishmael Leggett (16), Cameron Corhen (12), and Damian Dunn (10) and Zack Austin (10) also contributed in the offensive efforts for Pitt.
Like in most of Pitt’s recent games, the Panthers fell behind in this one. Syracuse mounted an early 13-4 lead in the first half, and had Pitt playing from behind right away.
Pitt started to surge after halftime.
Jeff Capel’s team found a better rhythm in the second half, shooting 58% from the field with no turnovers. Pitt outscored Syracuse 45-40 after the break.
Syracuse built a lead and stayed with striking distance to the very end largely because of its efforts on the glass. The Orange won that department, 48-31. That effort was fueled by a Herculean effort from Eddie Lampkin, who finished with 10 points and 23 rebounds, the most by an ACC player all season.
Pitt missing some free throws down the stretch also kept Syracuse in the game longer. Lowe, the ACC’s best foul shooter, was 3-of-6 in the second half himself, as Pitt was 5-for-10.
The Panthers started the day No. 32 in the NET rankings, and with today’s win improved to 9-0 in Quad 3/4 games, keeping an ugly loss off of the resume
The ‘get right’ game
Pitt got off the hook from that ugly losing streak on Saturday, but did not have that complete ‘get right’ game maybe they were hoping to see after a week off from games. In the end, it does not matter. Winning road conference games are can be grinds, and Pitt was desperate for a win. The main objective was completed on Saturday.
The Panthers still started slow, got beat on the boards, two recurring issues, but there were still some positives. The offense looked good in the second half and Pitt only finished with three turnovers for the entire game. I think there are still some concerns about Pitt’s performance, but the good outweighed the bad.
Late game Lowe
Aside from his continued struggles from three-point range and some missed free throws late, Jaland Lowe strung together perhaps his best overall game in a few weeks. The sophomore had 22 points, six assists, and only one turnover in 34 minutes of action.
Lowe has shown takeover effect at times this season, and it was on display again in the second half. He scored 17 points in the game’s final 20 minutes. During a crucial stage early in the second half, Pitt went win a 10-2 run to take a little bit of a lead for the first time all game. Lowe scored 8 of the Panthers’ points in that stretch.
Dunn’s impact
When you consider your sixth man a sixth starter, then the expectations for his impact when he enters the game are high. Damian Dunn had a nightmare first half, picking up three fouls in five minutes. His second half went much better, scoring seven of his 10 points in the frame. Dunn was 3/3 from the field, and hit a critical three-pointer in the final 20 minutes. While an imperfect stat, his +/- was +8 for the game, the team leader in that department for a second straight game.
Two rotations
In some ways matchups dictated how Jeff Capel deployed his bench against Syracuse, but fouls also forced his hand a bit. Pitt used all ten players who regularly see action in the first half against on Saturday. Even Amsal Delalic notched playing time after not seeing the floor in four straight games.
Aside from Dunn’s 10 points and four from Jorge Diaz Graham, the trio of Papa Amadou Kante, Brandin Cummings, and Delalic did not score. In the second half, things got tighter. Starters Lowe, Leggett, Austin, and Corhen never left the floor. Dunn played 13 minutes, while Guillermo Diaz Graham played seven, keeping it to a six-man rotation. Pitt played better after the break when the starters and Dunn absorbed all the minutes.
Disparity on the boards
Eddie Lampkin entered Saturday as the ACC’s fourth leading rebounder at 8.3 per game. The Orange big man went above and beyond his usual rate against the Panthers. Lampkin recorded double-digit rebounding efforts eight times going into the Pitt game, but totaled a season-best with 23 boards. He was a force and spearheaded a 48-31 domination on the glass for his team. It marked the fifth consecutive game where Pitt has lost the rebounding battle, something that has been ailing this team mightily.
Freshly squeezed
Pitt lost both games to Syracuse last season. In hindsight, those are probably high contributing factors as to why the Panthers missed the NCAA Tournament.
With Saturday’s win, Pitt closed the gap in the all-time series to 76-51. The victory also was the Panthers’ 15th all-time in the JMA Wireless Dome, with a 15-23 record in the building.
Up next
Pitt is set to host North Carolina on Tuesday night for a 9:00 p.m. tip on ESPN at the Petersen Events Center. The Tar Heels entered the year No. 9 in the preseason AP poll, but are off to a disappointing 12-8 start to the season. Last season, North Carolina swept both matchups between the two teams, including a 72-65 victory in the ACC Tournament, ending Pitt’s season.
