PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Number four Duke (22-2, 11-1 ACC) got red hot from three in the second half to pull away from Pitt (9-16, 2-10) 70-54 Tuesday night.
Blue Devils were 7-14 from beyond the three-point line in the second half and 54% from the floor. Duke also controlled the glass +14 and points in the paint +14.
“We had too many mistakes,” said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel. “Too many, ‘my bads’ that when you are playing against a really good team like that, you have to eliminate those and we didn’t do that, but I’m proud of our fight.”
“We were in a position, it was a 10-point game. If we make a couple more shots, a couple layups, a couple free throws, maybe we put a little more game pressure on them. Kudos to them, they stepped up and made plays.”
For most of the game, the Panthers hung with the ACC leaders. It was a 7-0 run to end the first half that gave the Blue Devils a six-point lead at halftime and an 8-0 run late in the second half that sealed the win.
“Playing a ranked team, really, really good players,” said Pitt forward Barry Dunning, Junior. “Came out with some energy, were focused. We can put one half together, you got to put two halves together. I’m proud of this team, we fought.”
It was much closer than the last three matchups at the Petersen Events Center as Duke had outscored Pitt by a combined 81 points.
NOTES
· For as good as Pitt was in the first half from three (7-20), only 2-13 in the second half
· Pitt didn’t make its first free throw until 4:30 left in the game, overall 3-8
· Duke held a big edge in bench points 13-2
· There were 5 ties and 6 lead changes
· Pitt had 11 steals, but only 6 fast break points
· Duke sophomore Isaiah Evans led all scorers with 21 points
· Likely All-American Cameron Boozer finished with 17 points (6-9 shooting) and 10 rebounds
· Caleb Foster had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists
· Roman Siulepa led Pitt with 19 points (6-15 FG, 4-11 from 3)
· Barry Dunning, Junior 17 points (7-14 FG) and 6 rebounds
Duke talks Pitt
“Let’s start with Pitt, their injuries have been a killer this year,” said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. “They aren’t a team they would have been, but we know they play incredibly hard, incredibly together.”
Respect for Siulepa
“He plays really hard,” Scheyer said of the Panthers freshman. “You can see his skill set is blossoming still, he’s going to keep getting better and better. I love his tenacity. He’s going to be a really good player. Big fan of his.”
Next up
Panthers are on the road for the only meeting with North Carolina Saturday at 2p. The Voice of the Panthers Bill Hillgrove and former Pitt great Curtis Aiken start pregame at 1:30 on 93.7 The Fan.