Pitt notched its first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season with an 83-70 road win over Louisville Saturday afternoon.
Blake Hinson dropped a team-high 21 points and also recorded three rebounds as the Panthers (10-5, 1-3) never trailed. Zack Austin added 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Mike James put up 23 points, four boards and two assists for the Cardinals (5-9, 0-3). Skyy Clark had 11 points and six rebounds.
The win broke a two-game conference losing streak for the Panthers.
Hinson hit a pair of three-pointers during a 13-3 second-half Pitt surge that stretched the gap to 17 points in the Panthers’ favor and broke the game open for good.
The Panthers came out of halftime ahead 40-34, then stretched their advantage to 11 with an early 5-0 run propelled by Guillermo Diaz Graham. Diaz Graham assisted on an Austin dunk during that spurt, then completed a traditional three-point play on the following possession.
Over a span of less than 1:30 later in the second half, James knocked down a trio of three-pointers, giving Pitt a 57-50 lead with 11:41 to play. By hitting five of his first six tries from deep, James picked up the slack for Clark, who entered as the Cardinals’ leading scorer with 15.2 points per game but was held scoreless for the first 23 minutes.
At the contest’s outset, Pitt leapt out to a 6-0 lead in the first 2:05 and worked ahead by as much as 12 in the first half.
The Panthers went 19-for-21 from the free throw line. They outrebounded Louisvilleby a 28-27 margin.
For Pitt, freshman standout Carlton Carrington had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jaland Lowe stepped in for the injured Ishmael Leggett and totaled nine points, six rebounds, and three assists.
The Panthers’ win is their fourth straight over Louisville. Those victories have come by an average of 20 points.
–Field Level Media
