Pitt vs Syracuse Live Feed: Panthers Hold, Remain Undefeated in ACC
SYRACUSE -- The Pitt Panthers made it as difficult as possible but did just enough to top Syracuse on the road and remain undefeated in ACC play. A blowout turned into an entirely too close game, but the Panthers emerged victorious despite it.
Game Information
Matchup: Pitt at Syracuse
Time: 9:00 P.M. ET
Where: JMA Wireless Dome
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: Pitt 84, Syracuse 82.
The Panthers led by 20 with 10:45 to play and by seven with 2:15 left in the game, but will escape as only two-point winners. Pitt did just about everything wrong in the closing minutes of this one - shot poorly, turned the ball over frequently and defended weakly - but it didn't matter. Their 13 triples were enough to overcome foul trouble and a late-game collapse.
They are undefeated in ACC play through two games for the first time since 2015-16 and will head back home to rest up for nine days before welcoming North Carolina to the Pete.
Stephen: Pitt is trying their hardest to make this as difficult as possible. They've struggled with the press and been soft with the ball and Syracuse has trimmed the deficit to nine with 3:32. The Panthers have been barely keeping their heads above water with some free throws but haven't made a field goal in 2:51. I don't think that will cut it if they want to pull out this win.
Stephen: Pitt is starting to face some foul trouble. Hinson, Federiko and Cummings all have four and Syracuse has trimmed the deficit down to 11 with under six minutes to go. The Panthers need to tighten up on both ends because it seems like they think they have this game locked up.
Stephen: Blake Hinson is up to 24 points and 12 rebounds - his fourth double-double of the year - after an alley-oop dunk puts Pitt up 75-59 with 7:25 to play. This is looking more like a true rout than simply some hot shooting from deep. The Panthers are responding to every Syracuse challenge.
Stephen: Syracuse had begun to put some pressure on Pitt with a 6-0 burst driven by their full-court pressure, but Cummings halted the run with a deep, confident triple. The Panthers have been so good at halting and stealing back momentum tonight and they lead 67-52 with 11:15 to go in regulation.
Stephen: The Panthers started the half on an 8-2 run, but Syracuse stabilized things by employing a full-court press. It sped Pitt up and allowed the Orange to get some easy baskets. Reinserting Federiko to the lineup after he sat much of the first with foul trouble has neutralized the advantage Syracuse has down low.
Another good thing going for Pitt is that they have Jesse Edwards in foul trouble. Edwards has been a menace in the paint tonight but it's come at a cost.
Stephen: Halftime: Pitt 41, Syracuse 33.
Pitt has knocked down eight three-pointers in the first half and outrebounded the Orange by five. Syracuse has been really successful shooting on the inside, but that's about it. The Panthers can afford to be smarter with their fouls, but other than that, there's not much to complain about being up eight on the road against an ACC opponent.
Stephen: Jorge Diaz-Graham has contributed some really valuable minutes so far tonight. He knocked down a step-back 3-pointer on one end and disrupted a fast-break alley-oop on the other.
The Panthers still have been sloppy on defense, however. They've committed some lazy fouls trying to make up for the size difference Syracuse has. It'll be important over the final 3:28 of the first half to be more focused and disciplined on that end.
Stephen: After starting just 1-6 from 3-point distance, Pitt has made six of their last nine attempts from deep and Cummings leads the way with four triples. Pitt is shooting a lot of 3-pointers but they're all good looks. Meanwhile, Syracuse is 0-8 from 3-point land and has had to work hard to get their looks on the inside.
The Panthers lead by 10 with 6:26 to go in a quiet JMA Wireless Dome.
Stephen: Syracuse calls timeout after the Panthers knocked down four of their last six 3-pointers. Pitt leads 23-12 on the strength of a 16-2 run that's lasted 4:51. Even when Jamie Dixon and company were beating the Syracuse zone with regularity, it didn't look like this.
Stephen: Pitt is just 1-6 from 3-point distance but 4-4 from inside the arc. The Panthers trail 10-9 with 14:54 left in the first half. They'll need to tighten up the interior defense, which was so good against North Florida - Syracuse has scored eight of their nine points in the paint.
Stephen: With Hugley sitting for another game, Capel turns to Fede Federiko, who's set a career-high in points in back-to-back games, to start at center. He's joined by Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliot and Blake Hinson.
Jim Boeheim sends Judah Mintz, Joe Girard, Chris Bell, Jesse Edwards and Benny Williams to the floor first for Syracuse.
Stephen: It doesn't look like John Hugley will suit up tonight. He missed the game against North Flordia for personal reasons. Jeff Capel didn't give many details about what it was.
Stephen: To break the zone, you have to hit shots from the outside. Pitt is as well-equipped to do that as they have been in years. They've got four players shooting north of 35% from the 3-point line but they've also owned the midrange this season. Success in both those areas will serve them well against a Syracuse zone defense that has flustered them frequently ever since Jamie Dixon left.
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