New-Look Backcourt Leads Pitt Past Florida Gulf Coast
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers faced their biggest test of the season when they hosted Florida Gulf Coast at the Petersen Events Center and, despite leading for all but a few seconds when the game was tied at 30 in the second half, the home team were put on their heels by a talented, veteran group.
Pitt needed their newcomers - a backcourt triumvirate of Bub Carrington Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett - to keep their heads above water with 48 points and 14 assists combined. And after a rocky first half, Blake Hinson came alive with an efficient eight points in the second half to keep their opponents at arm's length as the Panthers did just enough to knock off the Eagles and protect their undefeated record with an 86-74 victory.
Led by Blake Hinson, the Panthers jumped out to a fast start and led 9-3 at the first media timeout. Hinson made three of his first four shots and scored seven quick points, but FGCU's Rhamir Barno kept his team close by scoring or assisting on 10 of their first 11 points.
Pitt fell into a shooting slump after the first media timeout, but a fine bounce pass from Jaland Lowe to Guillermo Daiz Graham broke a 2-7 slump and put the home team ahead 20-14 just before the second media timeout of the break.
Lowe then hit a 3-pointer to push the Panther lead to five, but the Eagles kept pace with a hot shooting spell, including an 8-11 streak that tied the game at 30 with 5:04 to go until halftime.
Pitt had plenty of opportunities to extend their lead but the 9-18 mark from the free throw line the Panthers posted up to the final media timeout of the first half kept their advantage modest.
But the Panthers eventually broke through with a 15-4 run over the final 4:47 of the first half. Kickstarted by Lowe, who facilitated, scored and defended as well as he has in his still very young collegiate career so far, the Panthers locked down defensively, holding the Eagles to 2-7 shooting over the final 4:24 and made their final five attempts from the free throw line, pushing their lead to 45-35 by halftime.
The Panthers still held an eight-point lead at the 15:57 mark of the second half, but FGCU wouldn't let them pull away. Unable to build a steady run, they answered every Pitt score with a bucket of their own. Sometimes they simply made difficult shots but more often than not, their scores came when the Panthers rotated poorly and allowed an open look.
Carrington, Lowe and Leggett scored three buckets in a row for Pitt to help them extend the lead to 12 - the largest for the home team since the 19:11 mark of the second half.
Hinson broke out of a cold streak by scoring five in a row on a 3-pointer and a driving layup off an offensive rebound to break an 0-7 shooting skid. Then Ishmael Leggett stole a pass and ran free for a dunk that extended the Panther lead to 16, their largest of the game, with 8:26 to play in regulation.
The Eagles cut the lead in half over a span of about three minutes, with Thompson scoring five of seven points in a row for FGCU to make it 73-65 with 6:07 left in the second half. But Hinson hit yet another big shot - a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Panthers back up double-digits with 5:41 to play in regulation.
But out of the final media timeout of the game, Pitt scored seven of the next nine points. Carrington drew a foul and hit two free throws. Then Federiko made one of two foul shots after drawing a flagrant foul on Andre Weir. Then Leggett hit Federiko in transition for a wide-open dunk that made it 83-73 with 2:24 left.
Florida Gulf Coast made just one field goal and scored three points over the final four minutes of regulation as the Panthers bled them dry, winning defensively and on the boards to close out a victory despite poor shooting. A buzzer-beating triple from Carrington and airball from Thompson put a bow on an 86-74 victory at the Petersen Events Center for Pitt - their third straight win by double-digits to open the year.
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