Champagnie Leads Pitt to Title 72-59 Over Northwestern
FORT MYERS, Fla. Justin Champagnie had 21 points to lead Pittsburgh to a 72-59 victory over
Northwestern in the Fort Myers Tip-Off championship game on Wednesday night.
Eric Hamilton added 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Panthers (6-2) prevailed in a game that featured former Duke teammates and assistant coaches Jeff Capel and Chris Collins.Pat Spencer had 18 points and Bob Buie 13 for Northwestern (3-3).
One more of our guy Champagnie, who was named Tournament MVP! pic.twitter.com/ZKDA0v3jw3
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) November 28, 2019
Champagnie hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second half to push the Panthers lead to 56-43 with 5 1/2 minutes to play. The Wildcats cut the deficit back to six with just under three minutes left but a 9-0 surge, with Champagnie hitting another 3, sealed the deal.
After a slow start, the Panthers made 7 of 25 treys. At one point, the Panthers were 2 of 33 behind the arc in the tournament. A 13-4 run by Pitt gave it a 17-8 lead in the first half, which ended with the Panthers on top 25-23.
BIG PICTURE:
Northwestern: The Wildcats had a number of good looks against Pitt but couldn’t knock them down. Pete Nance, who averaged 15 points coming into the tournament, scored just 12 in the two games.
Pittsburgh: The Panthers, who play at Louisville on Dec. 6, needed a good showing to build confidence for ACC play. Pitt has started with a win over Florida State.
TWO-SPORT STAR
Northwestern’s Pat Spencer earned all-tournament honors after having 41 points, 11 assists and four 3-pointers in two games. He had 23 points, eight assists and made all three of his 3-pointers in a 78-51 win over Bradley.
His best sport is lacrosse. After earning all-American honors for four consecutive seasons at Loyola (Md.) where he finished with the all-time NCAA assists record, Spencer earned the Tewaaraton Award last year, lacrosses’ version of the Heisman Trophy.
Pitt wins the 2019 Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament after defeating Northwestern 72-59.
Justin Champagnie (21 points) was named tournament MVP. @UMTSport @Pitt_MBB @espn @FTMyersTipOff @OaklandZoo @Hail_Pitt pic.twitter.com/EyHrYzPL2P
— Ray Porter Jr. (@RP2872_Jr) November 28, 2019
NEXT YEAR
Wisconsin, Butler, Colorado and South Florida will play in the 2020 Fort Myers Tip-Off. Wisconsin made Final Four trips in 2014 and 2015 and Butler reached the national semifinals in 2010 and 2011. Next season will be Year 3 of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Boston College won the inaugural event.
UP NEXT
Northwestern will play at Boston College on Tuesday in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Pittsburgh will play host to Rutgers in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday.
www.PittsburghPanthers.com
