PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Panthers looking to build on a three-game winning streak, struggled in many areas losing to Georgia Tech 68-62 Saturday night at the Petersen Events Center.
"Maybe we walked into this game just a little bit lackadaisical," said senior forward Mouhamadou Gueye. "I could see in in our warmups, the energy from the past three games wasn't there. It's frustrating because throughout the whole, entire season (the goal) was to have consistency. This should have been the fourth, but it took a while to wake up."
Gueye said the coaches implored the team ever since the North Carolina game to play hard, but the team as a whole didn't listen.
The defense that held NC State under 40% shooting, North Carolina to 23 points in a half and held Florida State under 29% shooting wasn't there.
"We didn't play with the force necessary in order for us to position ourselves to win a basketball game," Capel said. "That's the part that's most disappointing.
"When I say the force-we didn't play with the sense of urgency, didn't take charges, weren't to the floor for loose balls, physical block outs. Nothing we did was physical, in order to win, that's how we have to be."
Meanwhile the Yellow Jackets (11-15, 4-11) varying zone defenses gave the Panthers (11-17, 6-11) fits.
· Turnovers—Pitt 16 to GT 11
· Pts off TO—GT 19 to Pitt 6
· Pts in Paint—GT 38 to Pitt 28
· Fast Break Pts—GT 17 to Pitt 4
· Pitt from 3 in 2nd half, 1 for 9
Panthers cut an 18-point point lead to four with 2:09 to play, but Yellow Jackets leading scorer Michael Devoe hit a wide-open three, six seconds later and Pitt would get no closer than six points.
Double Doubles
With only a pair of games left at the Pete, Gueye finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, the fourth double-double of his Pitt career.
John Hugley had his ninth double-double of the season, 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Capel Coach of the Year
Himself winning the ACC Tournament last season, Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner said of Jeff Capel after the game.
"I think what Coach Capel has done, he should be in consideration for ACC Coach of the Year," Pastner said. "They've had some injuries and stuff where some guys weren't playing. How he's kept the guys together. They play so hard, coming into this game they were the hottest team in the ACC. That's not easy to do that, he deserves a lot of credit."
Senior Night
Seven seniors, including a graduate student, listed on the Panthers roster. Three took part in Senior Day activities before the game on Saturday.
Chase Smith
· The New Jersey native and The Kiski School graduate is the son of Panthers great Charles Smith. Chase dealt with injury during most of the 2021-22 season, has played in four games in his Pitt career. He's a finance major with a minor in Chinese.
Onyebuchi Ezeakudo
· The former walk-on from Fort Wayne, Indiana has career-highs in every category in 2021-22 starting 11 games this season. Ezeakudo had a career-high 11 points in a win over Syracuse. He will graduate with a Bioengineering Degree.
Mouhamadou Gueye
· A graduate transfer from Stony Brook, Gueye settled in to have better numbers in ACC games than non-conference games. The 6'10" forward had eight blocks in the win at Florida State and 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Syracuse (one of four double-doubles). The Staten Island native plans to pursue a professional basketball career after the season.
"It's been great honestly," Gueye said of his time at Pitt. "Coming into this year, I had no idea what to really expect. I knew I was playing in the ACC, the competition would be better. To come here, to play for a team like this, to play for coaches like this, to play in front of a crowd like this in a city like this is beyond my expectations. I'm just grateful to put on this jersey. I appreciate the City of Pittsburgh."
Up Next
Panthers host Miami (19-8, 11-5) Tuesday night at 8p. Panthers pregame at 7:30 with Bill Hillgrove, Curtis Aiken and Cale Berger.
