Panthers Beat Hurricanes to End Game Skid
[Pittsburgh,PA] Pitt Point Guard Xavier Johnson sparked a game deciding 11-4 run as the Panthers defeated the Miami Hurricanes 62-57. Scoring 7 of his 13 points in the second half Johnson hit a big 3 pointer late to give Pitt a one point lead (54-53).
The Sophomore guard Then he hit a jumper the very next possession and slashed to the hoop for a layup with 40 seconds remaining putting the Panthers up by three (58-55).
Pitt swingman Au’dise Toney got into the action with 15 points and was a pure glass eater snatching down 10 rebounds. The panthers also got a huge push from sophomore guard Trey McGowens who led the way leading all scorers 17 pts. McGowens came up big in the tail end of the contest sinking 4 key free throws in the last 15 seconds to help secure the win. Despite appearing out of sync at times Miami had a shot to tie the game but blew it with a poor shot from beyond the 3 point line.
The Orange and Green were short handed in their battle against the Panthers as they played without their top scorer point guard Chris Lykes (15 ppg). Lykes is recovering from a hamstring injury. Miami Big Man Rodney Miller had a career high 16 pts and Guard Isaiah Wong chipped in with 15 pts. The U also got help from Dj Vasilijevic with his 10 pts and 9 rebounds. Miami even bounced back from a ugly 1st half trailing by as many as 10 pts; But It wasn’t enough today in Pittsburgh.
Miami has now lost 5 of their last 6 games; Hurricanes Head Coach Jim Larranaga said “They didn’t shoot great today, but the whole idea is ‘Win The Game’ and they did what was necessary to win.” Miami is now 11-10 Overall and 3-8 in Acc Conference Play.
With a win at home against Miami the Panthers improve to 14 wins against 8 losses overall and the blue and gold are now 5-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Panthers have already tied last seasons win total with over a month to go in the regular season. Coach Jeff Capel troops have 9 games remaining and only one against a team in the current top 25. If Pitt can finish strong they could be an NCAA Tournament team with an at large bid. The team based in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania is just two years removed from going winless in league play.
“The Sky is the Limit” according to Johnson ” The last 10 games we’ve got to go all out and compete at the highest level”
(Story by Keith Platt Jr.)