PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – In a game several NCAA Tournament experts believed was a win-and-in for the Pitt Panthers. The Yellow Jackets took the lead in the second half, but big three-point plays by Jamarius Burton and Blake Hinson led to an 89-81 Panthers win over Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
Burton led all scorers with 21 points (11 in the second half) on 10-15 shooting with eight assists (six in the second half). Federiko Federiko was a perfect 7-for-7 field goals, 5-of-6 free throws finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds in 25 minutes. Greg Elliott with 16 points, six rebounds. Hinson with 12 points, nine rebounds, Nelly Cummings had 11 points and four assists.
It didn’t come easy. The Panthers built a 15-point lead late in the first half, but resuming after halftime was a mess. Up 13, the first three Pitt possessions were turnover, turnover, turnover with a first made field goal coming over three minutes into the final half. Georgia Tech would take the lead seven minutes into the second half.
“They grabbed some momentum,” said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel. "But I'm really proud, man, because we fought. We could have easily given in and put our heads down and things like that. But these guys showed who they have been all year, which is resilient, tough and together, and we were able to make some huge plays down the stretch.”
Up four coming off a couple of missed shots, Jamarius Burton goes into the lane, gets Miles Terry in the air, creates the contact, makes the shot and finishes the three-point play for an 82-75 lead with 1:23 to play. If there was any doubt, Hinson nailed a three late in the shot clock with 40.6 seconds left, Panthers up eight sealing the game. Panthers now 22-10 with 15 conference wins.
“For us to just continue fighting,” Burton said of the message in the second half. “We understand it's 10 rounds, we understand the game is not over. We started off the half not playing up to our standard, and we wanted to continue to make corrections, continue to take care of the basketball, and just continue to fight. We understand it's survive and advance.”
Notes
· After getting outrebounded by 22 against Miami, Pitt was a plus-1 against Georgia Tech
· Panthers shot 56.4% for the game (53.6% in the 2nd half)
· Pitt had 18 assists to 9 turnovers
· GT outscored Pitt 19-2 in fast break points
· Panthers were 20-25 FT, 12-13 in the second half
Up Next
Panthers play Duke Thursday afternoon at 2:30p on 93.7 The Fan with Bill Hillgrove, Curtis Aiken and Cale Berger.