Strong Shooting Leads Pitt Past Boston College
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers went into Saturday's game against the Boston College Eagles knowing that they would have to play near flawlessly for the remainder of their season in order to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
That message clearly resonated, as the Panthers went into Chestnut Hill and spoiled the Eagles' Senior Night in a 90-65 blowout win. Bub Carrington scored a career high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting to go to with seven threes while the team as a whole shot 54.1% from the field and recorded 20 assists. Pitt's defense held up its end of the bargain as well, forcing nine turnovers and holding Boston College to 43.5% shooting.
Blake Hinson knocked down a deep three-pointer on Pitt's first possession of the contest as it went on to make five shots from behind the arc in the first five minutes, propelling the Panthers to a 17-9 lead before the first media timeout at the 14:28 mark.
Another Hinson three grew Pitt's lead to double digits, though he was taken out of the game at the 13:43 mark after picking up his second foul of the half. The Eagles cut it to 23-15 before the second media timeout at the 11:29 mark after Quinten Post nailed his first triple of the day.
The Panthers missed six straight field goals with Hinson on the bench, opening the window for Boston College as it built a 12-2 run that made it 28-23 leading into the third media timeout at the 7:43 mark.
A 7-0 run out of the break helped Pitt recuperate while the Eagles were saddled with a scoring drought that lasted nearly three minutes. Layups by Federiko Federiko and Ishmael Leggett pushed the Panthers' lead to 39-27 going into the fourth media timeout at the 3:21 mark.
Pitt continued to proper on the offensive end as it pushed its advantage to 43-27, drawing a Boston College timeout. The Eagles called an audible and switched to a zone defense in the closing minutes of the half, though it did little to slow the Panthers as they carried a 47-32 lead into halftime.
The Panthers had their way with Boston College's defense for a majority of the first half, shooting 54.8% from the field and 50% from behind the arc on 16 attempts. Pitt also recorded nine assists and 18 points in the paint, encapsulating just how dominant it was in every aspect on that end of the floor. The Panthers' defense also forced five turnovers, and outside of Quinten Post, the Eagles shot just 6-of-19 during the first half.
Carrington led Pitt in scoring with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting while Post paced Boston College with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
The Panthers' first points of the second half came on a Jaland Lowe step back three at the 17:58 mark. The two sides went a combined 4-of-18 from the field to begin the second half while Pitt maintained a 53-37 lead before a media timeout at the 14:19 mark.
Post kept up his torrid pace with six points on three consecutive Boston College possessions, but the Panthers also remained productive in scoring the ball and held a 58-43 lead before a media timeout at the 11:50 mark.
Carrington connected on a pair of three-pointer after the stoppage while finding Federiko down low for a dunk, which extended Pitt's lead to 66-45 before Hinson nailed a triple of his own just before a media timeout at the 9:11 mark.
Another Carrington three-pointer widened the margin to 25 points. The Eagles broke off a quick 5-0 run from there, but Carrington's sixth triple of the contest made it 75-52 at the 6:22 mark.
Dunks by Zack Austin and Hinson, coupled with Carrington's seventh three, broadened the Panthers' lead to 84-57 as the game went into a stoppage at the 3:37 mark.
Pitt played out the string from there, closing out a decisive victory in its last road game of the season that should leave the program feeling confident heading into the final week of the regular season as its tournament dreams survive for another day.
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