PITTSBURGH – Pitt battled back from an early double-figure deficit and entered the final 75 seconds of play tied before falling to Georgia Tech, 73-67, Tuesday evening at the Petersen Events Center. Jaland Lowe finished with 25 points, including 17 in the second half of play, while Ishmael Leggett added 20 points for the Panthers.
Georgia Tech jumped out to a 20-8 lead on a Lance Terry three with 11:17 remaining before Pitt settled in to outscore the Yellow Jackets 22-15 the rest of the way. Zack Austin‘s three just before the halftime buzzer sent the Panthers into halftime trailing 35-30.
Leggett knocked down a pair of threes and had 12 points in the first half but Terry and Duncan Powell combined for 27 points and five three-pointers to lead the Georgia Tech attack.
Pitt continued to fight back in the second half but Powell converted two four-point plays on corner threes from in front of the Georgia Tech bench to extend the Yellow Jacket lead to nine points each time.
Lowe hit a stepback three from the top of the key to cap a 7-0 run and pull the Panthers to 56-54 with 6:33 remaining.
Cummings three with 5:30 remaining gave the Panthers their first lead of the half at 59-58. Georgia Tech regained the lead with seven free throws over the next 1:35 of action.
Pitt battled back again as Lowe scored on a driving layup with 1:52 remaining and drilled his second three of the night to tie the game at 67 with 1:15 left to play.
Naithan George hit a pair of free throws as Georgia Tech regained the lead. The Pitt offense generated a terrific look on the next possession but Zack Austin’s corner three bounced off the back iron. Lowe grabbed the offensive rebound and found Leggett at the top of the key but he was unable to convert at the rim after splitting a pair of defenders.
Georgia Tech dug out the rebound and Terry charged down court for a layup that rolled around the rim before falling in for a 71-67 lead with 23 seconds remaining. The made field goal was the Yellow Jackets first since the 9:49 mark in the half but they were able to hold the Panthers at bay by going 17-of-19 from the foul line over the final 9:01 of game action.
The Panthers missed four shots in the final 15 seconds of action before Georgia Tech got to the foul line one last time. The Yellow Jackets were awarded 28 free throws in the contest, including 23 in the second half of play.
Powell finished with a game-high 26 points with a 6-of-10 effort from three-point range, while Lance Terry added 20 points. Baye Ndongo added 11 points and 17 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.
SHOOTING WOES
Pitt shot just 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from the field for the game, including an 8-of-27 (.296) effort from beyond the arc.
The Panthers’ defense stepped up to hold Georgia Tech to just 7-of-21 (.333) shooting from the field in the second half, but the Yellow Jackets were 21-of-23 (.913) from the foul line after halftime. Georgia Tech entered the night shooting just 66.7 percent from the foul line on the season.
20/20 AGAIN
Lowe (25) and Leggett (21) both topped the 20-point mark in a game for the third time this season.
LOWE DELIVERS
For the second time this season, Lowe finished with at least 25 points and eight assists in a game. He also went 9-of-10 from the foul line and added two steals for the Panthers.
CAM EFFICIENT ON OFFENSE
Cameron Corhen scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field before fouling out with 3:56 remaining in the game.
UP NEXT
Pitt travels to Louisville to play the Cardinals Saturday, March 1. Tipoff from the KFC YUM! Center is set for 6 p.m. with ESPN2 broadcasting the contest.
