Pitt dropped its first game of the 2023-24 season on Wednesday night with an 86-71 setback to Florida in the Preseason NIT. The Panthers got off to a fast start and played well in the first half, but Florida owned the second half and outscored Pitt 47-37 after the break.

The loss drops Pitt’s record to 4-1 on the year.

Pitt looked up to the task of competing under the bright lights early against Florida. The Panthers raced out to a quick 7-0 lead and then later grabbed a 14-7 advantage on a deep three-pointer from senior Blake Hinson. The early momentum was there, but a rugged Florida team battled back and got physical with the Panthers to close the gap.

Pitt never trailed for the first 19 minutes of the game, but a late Florida run sparked the Gators and they never really looked back from there. The Panthers were trailing 36-34 with six seconds to go before halftime and Florida had the ball. Pitt had a foul to give, but failed to make that happen, and Florida’s Thomas Haugh buried a deep three-pointer to make it 39-34 at the break. It was one of eight Florida three-pointers in the game.

Pitt had very few answers for Florida junior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who topped all scores with 28 points. Clayton had only made five three-pointers in Florida’s first four games, but went off for six makes from deep and punished the Panthers with 15 points after halftime.

While Florida’s stars showed up in a big way, Pitt’s 'big two' seemingly struggled. Blake Hinson and Bub Carrington scored 16 and 14 respectively, but went a combined 11-of-30 from the field. Carrington, who has been receiving national recognition for his early season play, finished with seven assists and four rebounds, but did not make a huge impact in the second half.

Pitt was paced by junior guard Ishmael Leggett, who topped the Panthers with a season-high 19 points, including 13 in the second half. Leggett felt like the only player keeping Pitt in the game at times.

The Panthers had some late opportunities to cut into the Florida advantage, but squandered all of those chances. Florida’s lead hovered around 11 points for the final four minutes, but Pitt could not cross over the hump and get it into single digits.

Pitt’s offense had been in a groove the first four games, but turnovers and some poor shot selection caught up with them on Wednesday. The Panthers committed 14 turnovers and shot just 35% from the field. Free throw shooting has been a lingering issue and it continued against Florida, with Pitt shooting 62% from the line. Hinson went 3-for-7 from the line personally, and missed all three free-throw attempts after being fouled on a three-pointer in the second half.

The Panthers will return to action on Friday in the consolation game of the Preseason NIT. Pitt will take on Oregon State on Friday at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN2. The Beavers lost to No. 13 Baylor in the early game at the Barclay’s Center, 88-72. Oregon State is 3-2 and was picked to finish last in the 12-team PAC-12 in the preseason.