Pitt Basketball: Panthers topple top-ranked UConn
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Pitt's DeJuan Blair tosses Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet over his back as they fight for a rebound in the first half last night in Hartford, Conn. Thabeet was called for a foul on the play.
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HARTFORD, Conn. -- Pitt senior Levance Fields waited almost 37 minutes to score his first points in the biggest game of the season. But he couldn't have picked a better time to hit two monumental shots.
Fields converted two huge 3-pointers, the first to break a tie score with 3:09 remaining, and the No. 4 Panthers went on to knock off No. 1 Connecticut, 76-68, last night at the XL Center.
This game had a little bit of everything from rough play to comebacks and, of course, a terrific ending.
Fields had missed his first eight shots from the field, but he had little doubt when he released the shot that put the Panthers ahead for good.
"I knew I was shooting bad," Fields said. "I didn't know exactly how bad it was. I've been here four years, and I always say when the game is on the line, whatever the percentages are, I'm not going to think about it. I'm going to shoot. I think I've proven that over and over that I'm capable of making that shot."
But this shot might have been the biggest of his career considering the stakes. This one gave Pitt its first victory against a No. 1-ranked team. The Panthers had fallen short in their 13 previous opportunities, including the past three against Connecticut.
"That was big," Fields said. "This is my last year. You don't get many opportunities to play the No. 1 team in the country. This game lived up to the hype. It was a great game. My teammates and coaches believed in me. They gave me the ball, and I knew I would come through for them."
During a timeout before Fields broke a 61-61 tie, Fields called his shot. Jermaine Dixon told Fields he was not following through on his jump, and that was the reason he was coming up shot on his jumpers.
The play was set up for DeJuan Blair in the post, but Fields was the second option coming off a double screen. Fields told Dixon that he would make the shot if he got the opportunity.
"I told Levance I'm coming to you when you come off the double screen," Dixon said. "I had confidence he would make the shot. He told me he was going to hit it, and that's what he did. That's Levance.
"He's the Chauncey Billups of college basketball. He's going to knock all the big shots all the time."
Fields' late heroics came after Blair and Sam Young put the Panthers in position to win.
In his matchup against All-American candidate Hasheem Thabeet, Blair scored 22 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. He set the tone early when he threw Thabeet over his back to the floor after Thabeet tried to reach in and take the ball away from Blair.
Thabeet, holding his left shoulder, had to leave the game and was never the same after that. He eventually came back, but only scored five points and pulled down four rebounds before fouling out late.
"They played a style of basketball that we hadn't seen all season," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. "And it was a style that was effective against us."
This was a physical game from start to finish that featured 37 fouls. But it was the Panthers that thrived in the hand-to-hand combat atmosphere.
Pitt manhandled Connecticut all game. The Panthers won the rebounding battle, 48-31. More startling than the 17-rebound edge was the fact that Connecticut hadn't been outrebounded all season. The Panthers had 18 offensive rebounds and the front line of Blair, Young and Tyrell Biggs combined to go 20 for 33 from the field.
Blair was 10 for 17 from the field and carried the team in the first half with 15 points and 13 rebounds when the Panthers built a 36-33 halftime lead.
"It was typical DeJuan Blair," Fields said. "Everyone was talking about how big and tall Thabeet was, how many shots he changes. Granted, he does. But you saw tonight, a couple of times, DeJuan knocked him off balance. He played the game as if [Thabeet] was 6-9 or 6-8. He didn't let him change any of his shots. Thabeet is a great defender, but DeJuan did a great job of sticking to his guns and playing his game."
Young was great throughout the game. He scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting and made several big shots in the second half. Twice when Connecticut was getting close, Young made 3-pointers to give Pitt some breathing room.
Still, Pitt had to claw back after giving away a lead they had held for more than 29 minutes. Connecticut took a 56-51 lead with 7:30- remaining.
The Panthers climbed back into the game thanks to a 3-point play by Blair and a 3-pointer from Dixon in the corner. From there, it was back and forth with four lead changes over the next few minutes before Fields let loose with his shots.
"If I had known he was 0 for 8, I might not have run that play," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "I knew he was due. He's made shots his whole career."
NOTES -- Pitt was 8 for 19 from 3-point range. ... Connecticut was 5 for 17 from behind the arc. ... The Panthers made 16 of 20 free throws.
First Published February 17, 2009 12:00 am
