Takeaways: Zack Austin Powers Pitt Past North Carolina

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers used a strong second half, as they took down a solid opponent in North Carolina at the Petersen Events Center, thanks to a great performance from Zack Austin.
Zack Austin Puts in Incredible Performance for Pitt
The redshirt senior forward has played many games in his college career, but his play vs. the Tar Heels led the Panthers to victory.
Austin finished with 15 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. This included two 3-pointers that give Pitt two leads late in the second half, including his final 3-pointer, which put them up 67-65, sealing the win.
It also featured a fantastic display of athleticism from Austin, who went on a high-flying jam off a Tar Heels turnover, energizing his team and the crowd.
He starred on defense, as he made five blocks in the win, including three in the second half and two in the final 1:30, as the Panthers held off the Tar Heels and their late push.
Austin gave credit to the black jerseys, as he made five blocks the last time they wore them against Virginia Tech last season. He also credited the defense he played and that he just took the opportunities that he saw.
“It gets me going, it gets me going," Austin said on the blocked shots. "Like I said, I think the blocked shots really changed the game. Like I said, I think the basketball gods gon’ reward good defense every time. I think that’s why I got the two shots from [Jaland Lowe]. Just playing my part."
Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe spoke on the importance of Austin and his play, not just in the win, but also throughout the season and that he's a player they rely on.
“It means everything," Lowe said. "This guy is super special. He’s a super, vital part in everything that we do and that’s just what we expect out of him. We hold him to a high standard. He also holds himself to a high standard. So, when he comes in and makes plays like that, it ignites everything, gives us a lot of confidence in everything that we do, because we know that if we give up a drive, we know we got this guy behind us. He’s just got everybody’s backs and we love that about him.”
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis also praised Austin for his play and that it served as a big reason why his team lost to Pitt.
"...Got to give credit to Pittsburgh and then Austin had five blocks," Davis said. "He's a perimeter player and he had five blocks. I don't know how many of them were on jump shots and so, sometimes an individual or an opponent makes better plays than you do."
Jaland Lowe Anchors Pitt Offense, Goes on Big Run Late in First Half
Lowe has led the Panthers on offense throughout this season, and continued doing so against the Tar Heels.
He led Pitt wth 18 points, shooting 6-for-15 from the field, 3-for-6 from deep, and 3-for-5 from the foul line, as well as dishing seven assists and making three steals. He also grabbed six rebounds, tied for the team lead along with fellow guard, senior Ishmael Leggett.
The most important stretch for Lowe was late in the first half, as he scored eight points off a layup and two 3-pointers, which came off of turnovers the Panthers forced.
This cut a 10-point deficit for Pitt down to just two points heading into hafltime, giving the home team a much better chance of completing the comeback, which they did.
Lowe thanked his teammates and coaches for the trust they had in him to go out and do it and he just wanted to get the team back in it before the buzzer.
"That run at the end of the half, just finishing the half out strong," Lowe said. "Taking what the defense gave us and just being myself. Teammates and coaches trusting me, so just went out there, played and finished the half out strong."
Lowe will continue anchoring this team going forward, but if he has more stretches like this, the Panthers will become a tough team for opponents to account for offensively.
Pitt Turns Season Around After Difficult Streak
Pitt had a four game losing streak over a two-week period that threatened to destroy their season and end their NCAA Tournament hopes.
They lost to suffered a blowout 76-47 defeat to then ranked No. 4 Duke on the road on Jan. 7, a close 82-78 defeat to Louisville at home on Jan. 11, ending a 15-game winning streak at the Petersen Events Center, a road loss, 82-70 to Florida State on Jan. 15 and an overtime home loss to Clemson, 78-75 at home on Jan. 18.
Pitt would get an important win over Syracuse on Jan. 25 on the road, which ended the losing skid and gave them a chance to get back to winning ways.
They faced numerous deficits throughout the game, including that 10-point deficit in the first half, but managed to find ways to comeback and outlast the Tar Heels for the victory.
This included a 14-2 run to end the game, which took place over the final 5:33, as the defense shut down North Carolina. The road team didn't score the final 3:21, shot 1-for-11 and missed their final seven shots.
Pitt struggled closing out games, as they lead late in the second half against both Louisville and Clemson, but lost both times.
In this game, they not only got the win, but they did so in dominant style, which Panthers head coach Jeff Capel wants for future games.
“I thought one of the biggest things today is that we were able to finish," Capel said. "Like I said, we were able to get 50-50 balls, we got on the floor, we were able to get stops, to get rebounds. If we get one, each game of Clemson and Louisville, we probably win. It’s very different and we’re learning to do that and so we’re learning to do that.
“This is the second game where I thought we were able to sustain the level of play that’s necessary to beat a good team and to be a good team, the team we want to be. I thought we were a really good team. We’ve had two weeks where we did not play well. Hopefully, these last two games, gets us going back to being the team we were, prior to Duke.”
- Pitt Outlasts North Carolina at Home
- Pitt Changes Starting Lineup vs. North Carolina
- Former Pitt Star Named to NBA Rising Stars Game
- Pitt Moves Up in Recent Bracketology
- Pitt Spring Game Date Revealed
Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt