The story: Pitt led LSU for over 36 minutes on Friday afternoon at The Greenbrier Tip-Off, but that was not the case at halftime. The undefeated Panthers found themselves trailing 28-27 at the break, but that was just enough motivation to come out and overwhelm LSU in the second half.
Pitt came out of halftime on an immediate 13-0 run on the way to a solid 11-point victory to hand LSU its first loss of the season. The Panthers were led by sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe, who totaled a career-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Lowe also connected on four 3-pointers, and scored 19 points after halftime.
The Panthers looked to assert control early, and while it got tight at times, the main reason for keeping the lead most of the game was the effort on defense. Pitt forced LSU into 15 turnovers. The Panthers were credited with 10 steals and six blocked shots. LSU leading scorer Cam Carter was held to 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Carter finished 0-for-5 from three-point range, and entered the game shooting 57.1% from deep.
Turning point: The 13-0 run to start the second half
Pitt had to be a little confused buy the halftime score. It felt like the Panthers were outplaying LSU, but the Tigers sort of hung around, as Pitt couldn’t create any separation. Foul trouble played a role in that, as Damian Dunn, one part of Pitt’s three-headed monster at guard, spent most of the game on the bench.
But things changed after halftime. Playing in a weird, unique venue, Pitt needed to create their own energy and started to do that. Lowe banged a 3-pointer, Leggett had a steal and a layup, and then Lowe found Cam Corhen for a jam to force LSU coach Matt McMahon to call a timeout less than two minutes into the second half.
MVP: Jaland Lowe
After recording the sixth triple-double in Pitt history on Monday, Pitt sophomore Jaland Lowe posted a career-high 22 points on Friday against LSU. It marked the third 20-point performance for Lowe in six games this season.
The Panthers’ point guard finally got going deep, as he connected on 4-of-7 from long range. 19 of his points came after halftime and he simply took over the game. It wasn’t always perfect, as he did finish with a career-high four turnovers, and committed a technical foul just before halftime, but he responded in a big way in the second half.
Unsung Hero: Cam Corhen
Pitt needed a better inside scoring presence this season, so Jeff Capel went after a player who scored 25 points against his team last season. Florida State Cam Corhen has reached double figures in all six games to date, and provides a reliable dump-off option for driving guards.
On Friday, Corhen finished with 14 points on seven made field goals. Six of those were dunks. If Pitt struggles to shoot from three, the team has an option that can finish inside, which hasn’t been the case in recent seasons.
Pitt-pocketers
Pitt’s defense was suffocating at times. For as tough as it is to stay in front of the backcourt tandem of Leggett and Lowe, opposing guards must hate seeing them on defense as well. The Panthers’ backcourt accounted for eight steals. Pitt had 11 points off of turnovers in the game.
Dunn so soon
Part of what has made Pitt effective this season is having that third guard who can alleviate pressure from Lowe and Leggett. On Friday, the Panthers didn’t benefit from that option, but overcame it anyway. Damian Dunn entered as Pitt’s second leading scorer, but finished with two points and played a total of 12 minutes. He picked up his fourth early in the second half, and was out of the game by the 7-minute mark.
The Spark
Is Pitt turning into Sixth Man U? The Panthers have claimed the past two ACC Sixth Man of the Year awards, and Zack Austin is proving his worth early on this season. The senior forward played key minutes with Dunn on the bench. He posted 10 points, matching his season high.
Clutch from the line
Pitt had built up a lead of around 13 points in the early stages of the second half, but LSU managed to cut it to 58-54 with 5:41 remaining. What kept Pitt always a few steps ahead was the free-throw shooting. Pitt was 19-of-22 from the line on Friday.
Keeping things tight
Many believed Pitt would mostly be a team that could play eight guys comfortable. But Amsal Delalic did not see any action on Friday, as Jeff Capel kept the rotation to seven guys. Brandin Cummings was the seventh man, and he saw 21 minutes, but was the only Panther with a negative +/- (-11) on Friday. The freshman guard was 1-of-5 from three, as his early seasonshooting struggles continued.
Doing his thing
When the team seemingly needs a big basket or a steal, through six games this season it has been Ishmael Leggett. He finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and five steals against LSU. The senior guard was also 8-of-9 from the line and deserves a lot of credit for Cam Carter having an off night.
What it means
Pitt is now 6-0 for the first time since 2018-19, the first season of the Jeff Capel era. The Panthers have not started 7-0 since the 2013-14 campaign, the program’s first year in the ACC.
The win also vaults Pitt’s record to 6-3 in neutral site games on Jeff Capel. The Pitt head coach is also now 2-3 against SEC opponents during his tenure.
What’s next: Sunday 5:30 Greenbrier Tip-Off Championship
Pitt will either take on No. 19 Wisconsin out of the Big Ten or UCF from the Big 12 on Sunday evening in the late game from White Sulphur Springs, as that game is being played right now on the CBS Sports Network. Either way, Pitt will have another chance to take on an undefeated power-conference opponent.
