Pitt Basketball: Panthers rally in final 4:50 thanks to spark from freshman reserve
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Pitt's Nasir Robinson drives to the basket between Rider's Novar Gadson and Brandon Penn in the second half Sunday night at the Petersen Events Center. -
Pitt's Tray Woodall gets run over as he goes for the ball against Rider in the second half Sunday night at the Petersen Events Center.
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It was a festive atmosphere inside the Petersen Events Center Sunday night. Or about as festive one could expect for a non-descript, non-conference game against Rider.
The Panthers welcomed back their alumni for a halftime ceremony with some of the school's all-time greats such as DeJuan Blair, Don Hennon and Sam Clancy in attendance. They and the rest of the 8,712 fans inside the arena had to hold their breath as the Panthers staged a late rally to avoid the upset at the hands of a team from the Metro Athletic Conference that had lost to Robert Morris by 26 points Friday night.
No. 10 Pitt surged to an 86-78 victory with a blitz in the final five minutes. The Panthers trailed by a point but outscored the Broncs, 14-5, in the final 4:50 to ward off the upset bid.
"It wasn't our best performance," senior guard Ashton Gibbs said. "But we were able to get stops at the end."
That was about the only time the Panthers got defensive stops. Rider was 2 for 7 from the field and committed three of its five turnovers down the stretch. For the first 35 minutes, the Broncs had their way with Pitt's defense. They shot 53.6 percent from the field and made 10 of 23 attempts from 3-point range.
"We have a lot of work to do, especially on the defensive end," coach Jamie Dixon said.
That much was evident at halftime. The score was tied, 45-45.
The 45 points were the second-most points scored by an opponent in a half against Pitt at the Petersen Events Center. Only Notre Dame in a 2006 game has scored more.
The Broncs outscored the Panthers, 29-15, in the final 10:52 of the first half. They made 17 of their 29 field-goal attempts (58.6 percent) in the half. The surge came after the Panthers dominated play early as they jumped out to a 14-point lead nine minutes into the contest.
The quick start and the fact that Rider was humiliated by Robert Morris two nights earlier might have caused the Panthers to take their foot off the gas pedal.
"You hope that didn't happen," Dixon said. "They spread it and drove us. The focus was not to give up layups, but I think they had 13 layups. We pride ourselves in offensive efficiency. We've led the nation the last five years in offensive efficiency. But that was offensive efficiency. They shot 53 percent and only had five turnovers. You shouldn't win the game when the other team shoots 53 percent and only has five turnovers."
First Published November 14, 2011 12:00 am
