Virginia Tech halts Pitt's winning streak with 79-72 win
The Pitt Panthers dropped a 79-72 decision to the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday evening in Blacksburg. The loss ended Pitt's six-game winning streak, and slides the Panthers (19-8, 12-4) out of first place in the ACC standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Pitt stormed out of the gate to take an 11-5 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but the Panthers were unable to maintain that early momentum. Virginia Tech asserted control with an immediate 18-2 run to build a little bit of a lead, and the Panthers had a hard time chipping away it for the remainder of the contest.
Pitt never established a strong offensive rhythm in this game. The Panthers entered Saturday's game leading the conference in made three-pointers per game, but shot only 3-of-18 from deep. Pitt's leading scorer, Blake Hinson, finished with only four points in 25 minutes of action.
The junior forward fouled out with 5:57 remaining in the game.
Fouls were a big part of the game for both squads, especially in the second half. The two teams were whistled for 44 combined fouls in the game. Both squads were shooting in the bonus early on in the second half, but the constant stoppages made it difficult for Pitt to ever go on a run, as the Hokies led by 7 or more points for the final 15 minutes of the game.
Virginia Tech improved to 12-3 inside of Cassell Coliseum following Saturday's win. The Hokies shot 56% from the floor and 47% from three-point range and saw five players reach double figures. Grant Basile poured in a game-high 22 points, while reserve forward Mylyjae Poteat scored a career-high 15 points.
Pitt cut the deficit to 7 points twice in the final 2:30 of the game, but never could get closer than that. Four Panthers reached double figures led by 15 points from Jamarius Burton, although it took him 16 shots to get there.
Nelly Cummings posted 11 points and 8 assists. Federiko Federiko had 12, while Greg Elliott posted 11.
Due to the foul trouble, both Diaz Graham brothers saw extended action. Guillermo posted 8 points and a team-high 6 rebounds, while Jorge added a three-pointer and had a nice assist to his brother in the second half.
Pitt's six-game winning streak came to an end, but the team will look to rebound on Tuesday night. The Panthers host Georgia Tech for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Petersen Events Center and will go into that contest one game out of first place for the ACC lead with four games to play.