Pitt Defeats Syracuse, Ends Losing Skid

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers used a strong second half, as they defeated their rival Syracuse on the road, 77-73.

Pitt ends a four-game losing streak with the win. They suffered a blowout 76-47 defeat to then ranked No. 4 Duke on the road on Jan. 7, a close 82-78 defeat to Louisville at home on Jan. 11, ending a 15-game winning streak at the Petersen Events Center, a road loss, 82-70 to Florida State on Jan. 15 and an overtime home loss to Clemson, 78-75 at home on Jan. 18.

The win for the Panthers (13-6 overall, 4-4 ACC) is their first win over the Orange (9-11 overall, 3-6 ACC), since they won 99-82 in their home finale on Feb. 25, 2022. It's also makes it six wins in the last nine meetings with the Orange for the Panthers.

Syracuse started the better of the two teams, with a 13-4 run over the first 3:30. Senior guard Lucas Taylor led the way with a 3-pointer and a layup, both guards in junior J.J. Starling and Elijah Moore hit from deep and senior forward Jyáre Davis scored a layup.

Pitt would respond with a 15-5 run over a five-minute span, taking the lead at 19-18. Senior guard Ishmael Leggett led with seven points on a 3-pointer, layup and two free throws, sophomore guard Jaland Lowe converted an and-one opportunity on layup, graduate student guard Damian Dunn made three throws and junior forward Cameron Corhen scored a layup.

The Panthers struggled the rest of the first half, shootign 4-for-15 from the field, including 1-for-6 from 3-point range.

They also had issues with rebounds, as the Orange outrebounded them 23-16, but their foe failed to take advantage of that, scoring just five second chance points.

Syracuse would hold a 33-32 lead over Pitt at halftime, but both teams shot poorly, with Syracuse making 43.3% of their shots and Pitt making 33.3% of their attempts from the field.

Leggett led the Panthers with 12 points and Corhen added eight points. Junior forward Jorge Diaz Graham scored four points off the bench and the Panthers shot 10-for-11 from the foul line.

Pitt shot much better with the start of the second half, going 10-for-14 from the field and taking a 53-45 lead with 10:37 remaining.

Lowe led the Panthers with 10 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field, including three layups and a mid-range jumper.

The Orange stayed in it, with Taylor making a layup and junior forward Chris Bell hitting from deep, leading to Panthers head coach Jeff Capel calling a 30-second timeout.

Pitt got two important baskets, as Leggett scored off a fadeaway jumper on an offensive rebound and Dunn hit a wide-open 3-pointer. Starling scored a layup, keeping the Pitt lead at 58-52 at the under-eight minute media timeout.

Panthers redshirt senior forward Zack Austin and Starling both made 3-pointers out of the timeout. Dunn then made a tip-in layup and Orange graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. converted an and-one opportunity off a basket in the paint.

Lowe kept Pitt in the lead with a jumper and a layup, while Bell made a 3-pointer to keep the deficit at 67-61 at the final media timeout with 3:19 remaining.

Starling made a free throw and then Taylor made two of his own, cutting it to a one-possession game, but Austin hit another 3-pointer, making it 70-64.

Syracuse freshman forward Petar Majstorovic made a layup to cut it back to four points, but both teams missed shots on the next possesion.

Lowe, a near 90% foul shooter, went 1-for-3 on his free throws attempts and had Pitt just up five points with a minute remaining.

Starling made both free throws, cutting it back to three points with 30 seconds go. The Orange set up a full court press to force a turnover, but Lowe cut through it and found Austin for the dunk, 73-68.

Syracuse stayed in it again, as Bell made a quick 3-pointer on the next possesion. Taylor would foul Lowe on the following posession, and he made both free throws, keeping Pitt up 75-71.

Majstorovic scored a basket in the paint out of the 30-second timeout, making it 75-73 with nine seconds remaining.

Austin went to the free throw line and made both of his attempts, making it 77-73, allowing Pitt to hold on for the win.

Pitt will head back home, as they face North Carolina on Jan. 28 for a 9:00 p.m. tip-off.

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