Pitt Blows Out Syracuse on Senior Night Among Electric Home Crowd
PITTSBURGH -- Lines to enter the Oakland Zoo started more than three hours before tip-off. Students brought fake money with a picture of Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim picking his nose photoshopped onto the center. Fans relentlessly booed former Pitt commit Judah Mintz, now a freshman star for the Orange. Even before the Pitt Panthers opened play against Syracuse, the anticipation was palpable.
Pitt fans delivered a classic backdrop for this rivalry game, selling out the Petersen Events Center and arriving early to help will their team to a crucial win on Senior Night. Blake Hinson led the way with 22 points and the team knocked down 16 3-pointers en route to a 99-82 victory
The Panthers raced out to a 9-2 advantage behind some stout defense. They scored five points off turnovers and dominated the glass as well, which covered for their early 2-8 mark from 3-point range. But Syracuse eventually got their feet under them and pulled within 17-13 by the second media timeout thanks to eight points scored before the midway point of the first half from Joseph Girard.
The Orange's 4-5 mark from 3-point range helped them pull even with Pitt by the 7:38 mark of the first half. They cleaned up the turnovers and with their defense unable to create easy opportunities in transition, the offense deteriorated. Instead of being able to work the ball deep toward the basket, the Panthers relied heavily on deep 3-pointers that weren't falling.
Syracuse battled back to take a two-point lead with 3:00 to play in the first half but Pitt closed the period in style, scoring nine of the period's final 12 points, primarily from the free throw line, to take a four-point lead into halftime.
The Panthers must have left their 3-point shot in the locker room because they came out firing to start the second half. They made five of their first nine attempts from deep after intermission, including an and-1 3-pointer from Nelly Cummings that gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the night at 12 with 14:04 to play.
Blake Hinson hit two in a row to start the half and kept firing. Nike Siabande, Cummings and Greg Elliot all hit from deep in the second half too. Sibande in particular got hot, scoring eight points in less than two minutes and punctuating a Pitt run with an acrobatic slam that completed an alley-oop.
Syracuse was forced to call timeout and respond by employing some full-court pressure but it gave Pitt only momentary pause. After the Orange some deflections, the Panthers demonstrated veteran poise and avoided the traps their opponents attempted to set up by moving the ball through the air as opposed to by the dribble.
From there, Pitt continued to play like it was the only team in the gym. The energy at the Petersen Events Center came to a head when a block from Guillermo Diaz-Graham led to a reverse layup on the fast break from Cummings, who secured his first career double-double with 14 points and 13 assists.
The Panthers continued to rain 3-pointers on their opponent, making 10 of 17 attempts from deep in the second half. By the 2:58 mark of the second half, six of the seven Pitt players to see the floor had scored in double figures and the team had shattered their season-high for points in an ACC game (it had been 91, achieved against lowly Louisville earlier this month).
The loudest cheers of the night came with 14 seconds left, as former manager and walk-on Aidan Fisch scooped home a layup for his first points of the night.
The Panthers sent their seniors out in style, outscoring Syracuse 60-45 in the second half to earn their 14th ACC win of the season and secure their spot in first place after Miami fell in upset fashion to Florida State earlier in the day.
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