Pitt Escapes With Narrow Win Over Canisius

The Pitt Panthers endured a tough challenge from the Canisius Golden Griffins in their win on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH -- Coming off of an emotional road win against West Virginia, the Pitt Panthers had to be cognizant of what the Canisius Golden Griffins bring to the table in order to avoid a crushing loss. It wasn't always pretty, but the Panthers were able to pull away with 42 second-half points and secure an 82-71 win in a contest defined by offense. Hinson led Pitt with 26 points as the team shot 53.4% from the field and 50% from three. Canisius' high-paced offense was also effective for most of the night as they scored 26 points in the paint to go with nine threes on 53.1 percent shooting overall.

Canisius knocked down a three-pointer just four seconds into the game before Ishmael Leggett matched it with one of his own at the 18:48 mark. The Panthers turned the ball over three times in the first two minutes but quickly adjusted and entered the first media timeout with a 10-7 lead at the 15:39 mark thanks in part to a pair of field goals from Blake Hinson. 

Pitt's rough start on defense persisted as the Golden Griffins scored six quick points out of the break. The Panthers didn't let those struggles translate to the other end of the floor, however, as they scored nine points in a four-minute stretch that helped them sustain a 19-17 lead going into the second media timeout at the 11:33 mark. 

The Golden Griffins' pace continued to perplex Pitt as Canisius took a 22-21 lead at the 10:29 mark. A Bub Carrington three allowed the Panthers to jump back in front before a three by Cam Palesse gave the Golden Griffins a 27-26 lead before the third media timeout at the 7:24 mark. 

Pitt scored on back-to-back possessions out of the stoppage while also forcing two turnovers to take a 32-29 lead at the 5:55 mark. The Panthers, experimenting with added pressure on the defensive end, carried a 34-31 lead into the final media timeout of the first half at the 3:33 mark after Jaland Lowe converted a fast-break layup off of a turnover.

The two sides traded threes on the first two possessions before Canisius took a 39-37 lead on a pair of three throws by Siem Uijtendaal. Uijtendaal later hit a floater that gave the Golden Griffins a 41-40 lead before the half expired. 

Canisius received contributions up and down its rotation as the bench combined for 14 points in the first half while Uijtendaal and Tre Dinkins both finished in double figures with 13 and 10 points respectively. The Golden Griffins' high-tempo offense also yielded results as they shot 51.9% from the field and 41.2% from deep while winning the rebounding battle 15-to-12. 

Pitt's offense picked up right where they left off from the second half of its game against West Virginia with 40 points on 53.6 percent shooting from the field, 18 of which came in the paint. The Panthers' defense was a different story, however, as they forced nine turnovers in the half but were otherwise outworked and afforded Canisius quality looks all over the floor in the first half. 

A three by Will Jeffress gave Pitt the lead out of the gates in the second half before two-consecutive buckets by Frank Mitchell were part of a 6-0 run that made it 47-43 in favor of the Golden Griffins leading up to the media timeout at the 17:35 mark. 

Carrington snapped the Panthers out of a 0-for-8 lull at the 15:18 mark, but a jumper by Uijtendaal and a layup by Youri Fritz extended Canisius' lead to 51-45 at the second media timeout. Uijtendaal provided the Golden Griffins with a game-high seven-point lead off of an and-one after the break before a three from Carrington cut into Pitt's deficit at the 12:53 mark. 

A Jorge Diaz Graham three-pointer further reduced Canisius' lead to 54-53 at the 11:47 mark before Hinson nailed a three of his own to give the Panthers their first lead in nearly 10 minutes. That didn't deter the Golden Griffins though, as they wasted no time re-capturing a 59-56 lead at the 9:29 mark. The sides then exchanged buckets before Leggett banked in a corner three that made it 63-61 Panthers heading into the media timeout at the 7:43 mark. 

Pitt put some distance between themselves and the Golden Griffins with an 8-0 run that provided the Panthers with a 68-61 lead as they made five-straight field goals. TJ Gadsden made a three for Canisius to break the run, but a Hinson layup made it 70-64 at the 5:54 mark and drew a timeout from the Golden Griffins. 

Hinson hit a three at the 4:26 mark to make it seven-straight shots without a miss for the Panthers while growing the lead to 73-66. Leggett and Federiko Federiko later connected for an alley-oop that extended the lead to nine points at the 2:52 mark before Dinkins made a three to bring it back down to 75-69.

Hinson and Carrington both scored to make it 80-69 with a minute left as the Panthers ran the clock out and notched their seventh win of the season in one of their more tightly contested games to date. 

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