Panthers built a big lead, lost it, made everyone nervous, and then pulled away to win.
Well, Pitt is moving on to the quarterfinals tomorrow against Duke. After the teams traded baskets in the early going, Pitt began to build a big lead, going into the break up 44-31. It all unraveled pretty quickly after intermission and Pitt found themselves in a battle. Georgia Tech took their first lead since it was 8-6 at 52-50 with 12 minutes and change left in the game. Pitt responded with a Federiko dunk. As has been the case so often with this team, they made plays down the stretch and came away with a victory. Here are a few notes about each player.
Nelly Cummings
- Nailed a big step back three to extend Pitt’s lead to 19-12.
- Had a bit of a rough patch early in the 2nd half with a few turnovers and bad shots that allowed GT to mount a comeback.
- He recovered and scored several crucial baskets on layups in the final minutes.
Greg Elliott
- Made four monster three pointers, each one bigger than the last. Closed the game by making all four free throws in the final 30 seconds.
Blake Hinson
- Has tried to take the ball to the basket a lot in the early going.
- Made a sweet defensive play on a fast break by backing up as the GT player tried to initiate contact.
- Struggled a bit to find his shot for most of the game, but as has been the case so soften, he made two big shots down the stretch. One a three pointer and the other the traditional and one.
Jamarius Burton
- Most of his baskets were in his sweet spot of the middle of the paint.
- Had several big buckets down the stretch.
- His footwork is just so good.
- He finished with a game-high 21 points on 10-15 shooting and team-high 8 assists. Vintage JB.
Federiko Federiko
- Had a strong first half with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
- Made a nice pass to a cutting Hinson for a lay-up near the end of the half
- Picked up his fourth foul with just under ten minutes left in the half.
- Finished with 19 and 8. Other than mishandling a couple rebounds that would have given him a double double, this was a fantastic game. He was 7-7 from the field.
Nike Sibande
- Chased down a long rebound in the first half and immediately took it back to the hoop for a lay-in
Guillermo Diaz-Graham
- Excellent weak-side rebound off a baseline miss by Sibande midway through the 2nd half. He got fouled and made both.
- Made a really nice block.
Jorge Diaz-Graham
- Not much sticks out for me from his three minutes of play. He grabbed a rebound and missed his only shot attempt.