Inside The Panthers

Pitt vs West Virginia Live Feed: Panthers Fall in Backyard Brawl Sequel

Join us as the Pitt Panthers take on West Virginia.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt vs West Virginia Live Feed: Panthers Fall in Backyard Brawl Sequel
Pitt vs West Virginia Live Feed: Panthers Fall in Backyard Brawl Sequel /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers delivered an electric atmosphere but the game got less entertaining as it progressed. West Virginia ran away in the second half on the way to a dominant, 25-point win at the Petersen Events Center.  

Game Information

Matchup: Pitt vs. West Virginia
Time: 7:00 P.M. ET
Where: Peterson Events Center
How to Watch: ACC Network Extra
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 56, West Virginia 81. 

Pitt was within reach of most of this game, but folded down the stretch. Foul trouble hurt them, but they weren't sharp from the start and their loads of experience did not pay off when the game was still competitive. Other than the electric atmosphere and a strong game from Nate Santos, there's not much positive the Panthers can take away from being dominated in the second half on their own court by their most hated rival. 

This loss isn't a death sentence for the 2022-23 season, but it certainly wasn't fun. 

Stephen: Mountaineer fans are starting to take over as their team leads by 18 with 4:26 left to play. Nothing has gone right for Pitt tonight and they're unraveling down the stretch. "Eat s*** Pitt" and "Let's go Mountaineers" is raining down from the rafters. 

Stephen: West Virginia leads 64-49 after Seth Wilson hits a back-breaking 3-pointer from the near corner. As the clock winds inside of seven minutes, the odds of a Pitt comeback are getting slimmer and slimmer. 

Stephen: 

Stephen: Greg Elliot is getting ready to give it another go with his team trailing by 14 and 11:31 left to play in regulation. Pitt's tightened up on defense as of late, but they need to start scoring. The ball movement has taken a nose dive with Nelly Cummings still on the bench with four fouls. 

Speaking of fouls, seven of the ten Panthers to play tonight have at least one, four have at least three and two have four. The end of this game is going to be tricky from a lineup management standpoint for Jeff Capel. 

Stephen:

Stephen: West Virginia's continued to stifle Pitt on the defensive end and score at will on the other. They're averaging 1.167 points per possession through four minutes of second half play and pushed their advantage to 54-40. 

Stephen: Pitt enters halftime holding a 47-36 deficit. Everything they're doing, West Virginia is doing better. The Panthers are shooting 50% from the field, but the Mountaineers are shooting 65%. The visitors are making the most of their opponent's mistakes and that's been the difference so far. 

Stephen: Nate Santos is playing the best game of his Pitt career so far. He's been tremendous defending on the block and has been a valuable contributor on offense. He's up to seven points on 3-4 shooting and three rebounds in seven minutes. m

The Panthers, however, trail 35-30 with 3:45 left in the first half. The Mountaineers have missed just two shots from inside the paint. Without Federiko and Hinson on the inside, Pitt is struggling. 

Stephen: West Virginia responded to a 9-0 Pitt run with a 12-2 run of their own. They lead 26-26 at the 7:34 mark of the first half. Both teams have been able to punch and counterpunch. 

The referees are starting to call this one a little tighter. Five Mountaineers and three Panthers have been called for a foul and four players in all have been called for multiple. Burton, Hinson, James Okonkwo and Erick Stevenson have two each. 

Stephen: The Mountaineers have made their last six attempts from the field and retaken the lead at 22-19 with 12:00 to play in the first half. Pitt's still getting affected by the full-court pressure and West Virginia has taken advantage, scoring nine points off of five Panthers turnovers.

Stephen: West Virginia's Emmitt Matthews just got slapped with a technical foul, the first of the game for either side. He talked a little trash to the Pitt bench after hitting a 3-pointer right in front of them. 

Stephen: I cannot overstate the incredible energy the Pete is holding right now. Fans are living and dying with every shot. The game has been well-played and fast-paced. The Panthers have overcome a slow start thanks to their defense and some tremendous 3-point shooting. 

Greg Elliot has knocked down his first three attempts from deep as we hit the first media timeout. Pitt leads 14-10 and Elliot will go to the line to try and convert a four-point play when we come back. 

Stephen: 

Stephen: Statbroadcast has revealed the starters for tonight. Pitt will roll with a familiar look - Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliot, Jamarius Burton, Blake Hinson and Fede Federiko. The Mountaineers will send Kedrian Johnson, Kobe Johnson, Erik Stevenson, Emmitt Matthews Jr. and Jimmy Bell Jr. to the floor first. 

Stephen: There was a great back and forth just now between WVU fans in the upper decks and the Oakland Zoo as both teams head to the locker room. Both groups shouted competing "Let's gooooo Mountaineers" and Let's go Pitt" chants. We're having fun. 

Stephen: 

Stephen: We out here. 

John Hugley, who's status for tonight was in question as he recovers from a knee injury, is in street clothes as the Panthers warm up. Looks like he'll sit out for the second straight game. 

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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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