Pitt built up an early lead in the beginning of the second half, but the Duke Blue Devils went on a run and threatened the Panthers throughout the contest. Pitt never gave up its lead and held on for a 79-73 win. The win improves Pitt's record to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC.
Justin Champagnie tied a career-high with 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for his fifth double double of the season. Au'Diese Toney chipped in with 22 points and 11 rebounds himself in the win.
Pitt closed the first half on a 14-3 run and continued that fast pace to open up the second half. The Panthers jumped out to a 55-40 lead with 16:29 remaining, but the Duke Blue Devils came roaring back. Led by freshmen sensation Jalen Johnson, Duke chipped away at the Pitt lead and had it down to a 2-point game with 5:39 remaining.
Johnson has dealt with injury problems this season, but looked the part of the five-star recruit he was coming out of high school. The freshman finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. He scored 18 points in the second half and willed Duke into the game himself.
Pitt only had three field goals in the final ten minutes of the game, but all were important baskets. Junior point guard Xavier Johnson blew by the defender for a Euro-step layup to give Pitt a 75-71 advantage with 1:40 remaining. Johnson then found a cutting Toney for a dunk to make it a six point game. Johnson added two free throws to set the final.
The Pitt point guard finished with 9 points and 11 assists and came up with some clutch plays down the stretch to help preserve the win after some shaky turnovers.
The game started with a quick burst of energy from the Panthers. Pitt, normally a slow starting team, scored the first 8 points of the game. Pitt expected to face a man to man defense from Duke tonight, but the Blue Devils primarily played zone.
Pitt was able to bust the zone thanks mainly to the play of Champagnie and Toney. Champagnie himself had a double-double at halftime with 17 and 10. He hit a season-high four 3-pointers on the night, as Duke had little answer for Pitt's star sophomore throughout the game.
Tuesday marks Pitt's first win over Duke since the 2015-16 season. It also gives Jeff Capel his first win over his alma mater and mentor Mike Krzyzewski. He had been 0-2 in the past two seasons against Duke. Pitt is scheduled to take on Boston College on Saturday for now.
