Pitt used a dominating third quarter performance to break open a tight game and record an 83-66 win over the Sant Julia All-Stars Saturday evening in Spain. The Panthers outscored the hosts 23-10 in the third quarter as four players scored in double figures on the night.
Blake Hinson finished with a game-high 27 points with five made three-pointers, while adding seven rebounds. Ishmael Leggett knocked down three threes en route to a 14-point, 5-rebound, 3-assist, and 3-steal effort.
Pitt started slow in the contest after arriving late following their bus breaking down 15 minutes away from the arena. In old-school AAU-style a fleet of seven compact cars arrived to help transport the team to the arena, while the remaining members of the travel party waiting on a second bus. The slight hiccup didn’t effect Hinson as he hit a pair of threes early to spot the Panthers to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes. Sant Julia countered with a 9-0 run and the two teams battled throughout the opening half.
Leggett knocked down a three late in the second quarter to give the Panthers a 38-36 lead heading into the halftime break.
Pitt turned up its defense in the third quarter and quickly pushed its lead to double figures with a series of hustle plays, finishes in traffic, and smothering defense that held Sant Julia scoreless for over 3:30 twice in the quarter. Guillermo Diaz Graham hit a pair of deep jumpers that were ruled twos, while Zach Austin and William Jeffress used their length and athleticism to give energy to the Panthers and ignite the crowd. Hinson and Leggett scored 30 of their 41 points in the opening three quarters of play.
Austin sent the crowd into a frenzy with a poster dunk off a nice feed from Carlton Carrington early in the fourth and added a putback and another dunk to help push the lead to 20 midway through the quarter. The Winston-Salem, N.C., native finished the night with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Jeffress also had a strong all-around game with eight points, five rebounds, and four steals.
Pitt’s young guard trio of Carrington (10 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts), Jaland Lowe (7 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts) and Dior Johnson (2 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts) combined for 19 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists. Carrington capped off Pitt’s scoring with a dunk off a fast break pass off the backboard from KJ Marshall.
Freshman forward Papa Amadou Kante did not play in the contest as a precaution after being undercut in Pitt’s first game of the trip earlier in the week.
STATS LEADERS
Points
Hinson 27
Leggett 14
Austin 11
Carrington 10
Rebounds
Hinson 7
Austin 7
Leggett 5
Jefress 5
Johnson 5
G. Diaz Graham 5
Assists
Leggett 3
Johnson 3
Carrington 3
Steals
Jeffress 4
Leggett 3
Austin 3
Blocks
G. Diaz Graham 2
Source: Matt Plizga/Pitt Athletics
