Poor second half dooms Pitt
Pitt was playing head to head for Florida State in the first half. The Seminoles, ranked 8th in this week's AP poll, woke up in the second half and dispatched Pitt by a score of 82-67. The win improves Florida State's record to 22-4 (12-3) on the season and it was the program's 21st straight home win at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
The game played out much differently than the season opener in Pittsburgh. The Panthers upset the Seminoles 63-61 way back on November 6th, but the teams could not be more different now than they were for that early season meeting.
After a stretch of poor starts to games, Pitt came out with some high energy and looked up to the task in the early moments of the game. Pitt built an early 12-5 lead, but foul trouble became an issue early for Jeff Capel's team.
The Panthers already low on depth with an injury to Eric Hamilton, saw three starters pick up two fouls in the first half. Capel had to get creative and mix and match lineups, and it worked throughout most of the first half. A Terrell Brown three-point play gave Pitt a 29-28 advantage at the 3:07 mark before halftime, but the 'Noles outscored Pitt 10-4 to take a 38-33 halftime lead.
Florida State flexed its muscles in the second half. The Seminoles have the ability to go 11-deep and used that depth, plus advantages in height and athleticism to outscore Pitt 44-34 in the second half. Florida State out-rebounded the Panthers 40-27 as well.
Freshman forward Patrick Williams led Florida State in scoring with 16 points, while Anthony Polite and Trent Forrest also posted 10 points apiece.
Pitt had it down to 50-42 at the 13:44 mark on Xavier Johnson layup, but could not cut into the deficit any closer, as Florida State held a double digit lead the rest of the game.
Pitt was led offensively by Au'Diese Toney, who finished with 15 points. Johnson continued his shooting struggles by going 3-of-14 from the floor, but finished with 12 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals. Terrell Brown and Justin Champagnie each chipped in with 11 points each.
Pitt's woes continued at the 3-point line, as the Panthers finished just 4-of-22 from behind the arc. The Panthers are set to host Virginia on Saturday for a noon tip at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt will be looking to snap a current three-game losing streak. Pitt's record now sits at 15-12 overall and 6-10 in the ACC.