PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – For about 30 minutes Saturday, Pitt was searching for answers. 16-4 Miami’s defense giving them problems, when the Panthers would go on a run, the Canes would answer.
Miami led by 11 in the second half, they led by eight with 2:26 to play on a dunk by Norchad Omier. It appeared it would be a big road win for the Hurricanes, until it all changed.
It started with a second-chance dunk by Federiko Federiko to cut the lead to six. Panthers would run out on the fast break and get a three from Blake Hinson and the lead is now three with 1:35 to play. Nelly Cummings drove the lane and got the roll on a step-back and the lead is down to one with one minute to play.
A Jamarius Burton steal late in the shot clock, he drives the other way and misses a layup. Blake Hinson tips the miss in and Pitt has the lead with 26 seconds left. Miami calls timeout, Burton gets a steal with seven seconds left. Miami’s Isaiah Wong commits a foul, but it’s only the sixth on Miami so a Panthers inbound with 7.1 seconds to go. As Greg Elliott is inbounding the ball, the bounce pass hits the baseline for a turnover. Hinson commits a foul on the floor with five seconds left as the Panthers had one to give.
Hurricanes get another chance down one point and Elliott stole the inbound pass. He would get fouled, make both free throws for the final margin, an eighth ACC win, 71-68.
“Wow what an unbelievable college basketball game,” said Pitt Head Coach Jeff Capel. “I’m really proud of my team. We fought. We fought for 40 minutes. It’s something we talk about all the time. It isn’t always going to be pretty, but as long as we are together. And we are fighting for each other, the result at the end was beautiful.”
“We knew we had one more round,” said Pitt guard Jamarius Burton. “We play our game with 10 rounds, one every four minutes. We try to win as many rounds as possible. We knew this was the last round.
If we are going to win, we were going to have to play our game and play great defense down the stretch. We were able to do that.”
Hinson finished as the game high-scorer with 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, 14 of those points came in the second half. He also had eight rebounds.
“I think the belief is there, it’s strong,” Capel said. “They believe in each other. As a coach, it’s really cool to see.”
“It’s happened organically, the pieces fit. We got guys that are over themselves, for the most part. They just want to win, they don’t care who gets the glory. They want Pitt to have all the glory. They understand if that happens then individually they all get something.”
Burton twice
Burton finished with a near triple-double, 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
“He impacts the game even when he is not scoring,” Capel said. “He distributes. His leadership. His toughness. His willingness to get off the basketball, to pass it. His competitive spirit, what he does for us defensively. I’m really, really happy for him. He’s a guy that wants to be good, wants to be a part of something from the time he got here. It’s great to see his leadership being accepted and respected by the guys on the team.”
Elliott had 11 points, Nelly Cummings with nine and Federiko with eight points and seven rebounds.
“I thought Fedy was terrific,” Capel said. “He did a good job.”
Federiko was part of a group that allowed one offensive rebound for two second-chance points. Meanwhile Pitt had 12 offensive rebounds and turned them into 17 points including Burton’s tip for the game-winner.
“It’s hard for us to practice it (rebounding) with the limited bodies and guys playing high minutes,” Capel said. “I think our guys are cognizant of it and we’ve done a better job of blocking out.”
Sellout crowd
For the first time since 2019, the Panthers played in front of a sellout crowd at the Petersen Events Center.
“Wow what an unbelievable college basketball game,” Capel said. “I want to give a big shoutout to the student section and the crowd (overall). They gave us energy. They were with us even when we didn’t play well. Our team felt it.”
Hinson said afterwards the Oakland Zoo is a part of their team.
“I have so much appreciation for this team and what we are doing,” Burton said. “Last year there wasn’t that many fans, in large part because we didn’t do our job. It’s great to see that many people out here supporting us.”
“We are grateful,” Capel said. “I think people feel a connection with this group of guys. We are grateful for them being here. For the people that work in the athletic department that help make it happen. I’m happy for our guys to experience that and feel that type of energy.”
Up Next
A road game on Wednesday at North Carolina as the 15-7, 8-3 Panthers look for a season sweep of the Tar Heels with pregame at 6:30 and tip at 7:00 on 93.7 The Fan.