Inside The Panthers

Pitt vs Miami Live Feed: Panthers Steal Massive Win

The Pitt Panthers mounted an eight-point comeback inside the final two and a half minutes.
Stephen Thompson|
Pitt vs Miami Live Feed: Panthers Steal Massive Win
Pitt vs Miami Live Feed: Panthers Steal Massive Win

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Pittsburgh Panthers

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers shouldn't have won that game. Down eight with 2:22 to go, things seemed dire, but the Panthers summoned some incredible magic to turn things around completely and escape with one of their best wins of the season. 

Matchup: No. 20 Miami at Pitt
Time: 4:00 P.M. ET
Where: Petersen Events Center
How to Watch: ESPNU
How to Listen: 93.7 The Fan

Live Game Chat

Come chat with our Inside the Panthers team. Stephen Thompson will share their thoughts and news, and any highlights from the game. Tweet at us at @InsidePitt to have your thoughts and reactions shared in the feed.

Stephen: Final: Miami 68, Pitt 71.

The final ten minutes of this game felt like a heavyweight fight. Both teams made big shots to counter attempted runs from the other side.

A wild final two and a half minutes that contained far too much action to contain in one paragraph decided it. Simply put, Miami held an eight-point lead with 2:22 to play. It was gone by the 25.4 mark. The Panthers tightened up everything and Greg Elliot redeemed a near-fatal turnover with a steal of his own and two massive free throws.

Pitt just stole a massive win. 

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Stephen: Every time Pitt makes a play, Miami - more specifically Isaiah Wong - responds with a big-time shot. This has turned into some kind of game. The Hurricanes lead 64-60 with 3:58 to play. The Panthers have gotten as close as three, but no closer than that in the second half. 

Stephen: Burton's dive for a loose ball earns the Panthers another possession and an important triple from Hinson. 

Stephen: Jamarius Burton has scored Pitt's last seven points and the Panthers are back within striking distance at 53-47 with 10:44 to play. The defense for Pitt has tightened up too. 

Stephen: Pitt had gone on a little 8-2 burst to get back in the game and give the crowd something to get behind but Miami's ruthlessly precise ball movement has resulted in two wide-open looks and makes from Pack. The Hurricanes are back up 11 with 13:08 to play. 

Stephen: Miami has quickly expanded on their halftime lead. They've outscored Pitt 8-4 over the first four minutes of the second half and lead 41-32. The Panthers are still having a hard time getting around the Hurricanes' length and it's forced them to rely on Burton running iso offense. 

Stephen: Halftime: Miami 33, Pitt 28.

That was one ugly half from the Panthers, but an 8-0 run to close the final two minutes has them entering halftime down just five.

While Miami shot 50% from the floor and from deep, the Panthers managed just a 27.6% mark from the field and make just 14.3% of their 3-pointers. Pitt committed seven turnovers and the Hurricanes took advantage, scoring nine points off those turnovers.

Their half court defense has been outstanding, but unless they can figure out a more sustainable way to handle Miami’s pressure, it’ll be a long second half. 

Stephen: Miami's pressure on and off the ball has taken the Panthers out of their offensive rhythm dramatically. Pitt has committed six turnovers, which have led to seven Hurricane points. The team's first 3-pointer of the game came at the 4:16 mark of the first half and it broke a 15-2 Miami run. It also finally brought some life back to the arena. 

The Panthers trail 28-20 with 3:32 to play until halftime. 

Stephen: Pitt's outplayed Miami for most of this game but not by enough of a margin to build any kind of significant lead. As a result, even a small 8-0 run from the Hurricanes has the Panthers down 19-17 with 7:05 to play. Pitt made lapses on both ends that gave the Hurricanes easy buckets and stops. 

Stephen: This is not a particularly clean game but nevertheless, the Panthers lead 12-9 with 11:11 to go until halftime. Pitt is just 3-7 on layups and Miami has missed some easy shots as well. Isaiah Wong scored five in a row on his own to give Miami a 9-8 lead at the 13:21 mark, but Pitt took it right back with consecutive buckets. 

Stephen: Pitt leads 6-2 at the first television timeout of the afternoon. It's been a suffocating defensive effort so far for the Panthers. The Hurricanes are 1-5 from the field and have committed three turnovers with little more than four minutes gone in the first half. 

Stephen: Pitt will send their normal five to the floor to start: Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliot (who's celebrating his 24th birthday today), Jamarius Burton, Blake Hinson and Fede Federiko. Miami will open with Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller, Nijel Pack, Wooga Poplar and Norchad Omier. 

Stephen: Let's set the scene, shall we?

Stephen: The Florida State loss put a lot of pressure on these Panthers to win and win big if they want to hang onto their delicate position inside projected NCAA Tournament fields. Pitt has two more big opportunities in its immediate future, beginning with this contest against the top-20 Hurricanes. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

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Published
Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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