21 days ago in Coral Gables, Pitt spotted Miami a 16-0 lead and then lost by just eight when the Panthers played a second half that was not quite good enough.

On Sunday at the Petersen Events Center, Pitt played much better early and did just enough to hold off the Hurricanes at the end for a 62-57 win.

Junior guard Trey McGowens had a game-high 17 points, but as has been the case in recent weeks, sophomore Au’Diese Toney and freshman Justin Champagnie were Pitt’s most consistent players on both ends of the court. Toney followed his career-best 27 points in the loss at Duke with 15 against Miami, and while he only hit 1-of-8 from the floor in the second half, he grabbed seven rebounds after halftime to finish with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

Champagnie just missed on his fifth double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Eight of those boards came in the second half, and both Champagnie and Toney were big on the offensive glass in the final 20 minutes. After Pitt had just two offensive rebounds in the first half - both by Champagnie and Toney - the Panthers grabbed 15 in the second half.

While Champagnie and Toney were consistent for Pitt, the Panthers’ guards continued to be a mixed bag. McGowens’ 17 points were a game high, but they came on 5-of-16 shooting, and his back court mate, sophomore point guard Xavier Johnson, hit 6-of-18 for 13 points. The duo also combined to connect on just four of their 17 three-point attempts.

Three of those four made three-pointers came in the final 11 minutes of the game, including a big shot from Johnson with 2:25 left that turned a two-point Miami lead into a Pitt advantage. The Panthers never trailed again, and McGowens helped seal the win by making four free throws in the final 16 seconds.

Johnson also made two more big shots in the final minutes, hitting a mid-range jump shot and a layup through contact.

If nothing else, Sunday’s game was another demonstration of how much depth Pitt lacks. With junior guard Ryan Murphy out due to a concussion suffered in practice, the Panthers’ back court had limited options beyond starters Johnson and McGowens. Sophomore walk-on Onyebuchi Ezeakudo played 7:34 in the first half to give the starters a break, and in the second half, Capel opted to not rotate at all with his guards.

In fact, Capel’s only substitutions in the last 20 minutes came at center, as Johnson, McGowens, Champagnie and Toney each played the full stretch from halftime to the final buzzer.

With the win, Pitt improves to 14-8 overall and 5-6 in the ACC. The Panthers will play next at Notre Dame on Wednesday night.