Pitt Falls to Wisconsin in Greenbrier Tip-Off

Pitt Panthers fall to No. 19 Wisconsin in Greenbrier Tip-Off.

Feb 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel reacts on the sidelines against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 86-59. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers, despite holding a 14-point lead in the first half, lost 81-75 to No. 19 Wisconsin in the Championship match of the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. 

The Panthers are now 6-1 on the season, making this loss to the Badgers their first of the season. The loss also marks the Panthers' third straight loss to the Badgers, with the last loss coming in a 47-43 defeat in the First Round of the 2016 NCAA TOurnametn.

Wisconsin graduate student guard John Tonje led the game in scoring with 33 points and 25 coming in the second half. He shot 11-for-19 from the floor and 10-for-10 from the foul line.

Senior guard Ishmael Leggett led Pitt in scoring with 17 points and junior forward Cameron Corhen was right behind him with 16 points of his own.

The Panthers frontcourt got things going on a 9-0 run. Redshirt senior forward Zach Austin started the scoring with a reverse dunk and Corhen added the next seven points. The frontcourt duo helped the Panthers take an early 9-4 lead. 

But the first few minutes included bad news for Pitt fans as graduate student guard Damian Dunn went out with an injury just two minutes into the game.

Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe scored the first two points for the Panthers' backcourt over five minutes into the game. Lowe then showed his playmaking, finding Austin for a three-pointer and an alley-oop to Corhen.

Wisconsin made two shots during the run led by Lowe but trailed 16-8 with 11:31 to go in the first half. 

Freshman guard Brandin ‘Beebah’ Cummings subbed in after the under-12-minute media timeout and immediately impacted the game, scoring a driving layup. Lowe then added a layup of his own on the next possession, forcing a timeout from Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard.

The Panthers extended their lead to 14 points in the first half, leading 27-13 with six minutes remaining. But the Badgers started to trim the deficity by getting the Panthers into foul trouble and earning multiple trips to the free-throw line. 

The Badgers forced three Panthers to earn two fouls each in the first half, allowing the Badgers to play more aggressively against the Pitt big men.

The 14-point Pitt lead split in half by the end of the first half —Pitt led Wisconsin 34-27 at the break. Corhen led Pitt in scoring with 11 points at the half and Lowe was second in scoring with seven points. Guards graduate student John Tonje and sophomore John Blackwell both added eight points each for Wisconsin in the first half.

Wisconin came out of the break and immediately shrunk the Panthers’ lead to just two points. They forced Corhen to commit two fouls in the first two minutes of the second half and they immediately took advantage of the Panthers while he was on the bench. 

Leggett scored all four of the Panthers’ points out of the break, but four makes from the Badgers allowed them to go on a 9-2 run, with head coach Jeff Capel calling a timeout. 

Wisconsin knotted the game up at 38 apiece out of the break, but it was short-lived after junior forward Guillermo Diaz Graham immediately converted an and-one on the next possession. 

The Badgers kept up with the Panthers, taking a 53-52 lead with 10:28 to go in the second half. Tonje was pivotal to start the second half, scoring 15 of the Badgers 25 points out of the break.

The teams went back and forth for the next few minutes, but a three-pointer by Wisconsin senior guard Max Klesmit gave Wisconsin its largest lead of the second half, 60-58. While the teams went back and forth, Leggett committed his fourth foul of the game, forcing him to sit on the sideline and Capel to put Amsal Delalic in his spot. 

After the under-eight media timeout in the second half, Capel moved Pitt into a 2-3 zone. The Panthers forced a turnover on the first possession, but the Badgers figured out to beat it soon after and took a three point lead.  

Wisconsin continued to add to its lead with Tonje dominating the scoring for his team, scoring 23 of their 44 second-half points. Wisconsin took a 71-64 lead, but Lowe responded on the ensuing possession converting an and-one.

Pitt trailed 71-67 with 3:55 to go, but an Austin 3-pointer shrunk the Wisconsin lead to one. But Wisconsin immediately responded with a senior guard Kamari McGee three, making it a two-possession game again. 

After an empty possession for the Panthers, Tonje once again scored, giving the Badgers a six-point lead with 1:29 left. The Tonje score was the dagger for the Panthers as the Badgers continued to make crucial free throws, going 5-for-6 to give them the Greenbrier Tip-Off Championship.

Pitt will look to bounce back as they travel to face Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 29 with a 2:30 p.m. start.

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