Pitt basketball struggled mightily in the opening 20 minutes of play, but provided a second-half surge to win the Greenbrier Tip-off 93-48.
The first half was a low-scoring, slugfest that saw both teams go into the double bonus. Cam Corhen got the scoring started early for Pitt by scoring eight of the first 12 points for the Panthers. The game looked as though it was going to get out of hand quickly in Pitt’s favor, but a big chunk of the first half was filled with missed shots. The Panthers used an 18-2 run over the final 5:36 to put their stamp on the game and take a 39-20 lead into the locker room.
Pitt came out with a vengeance in the second half by scoring 10 of the first 15 points. The offensive success continued for the Panthers as they led by as many as 45 points. Jaland Lowe recorded a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists that led the Panthers to a 93-48 win.
“I don’t think people understand how hard that is [producing a triple-double],” said Capel. “I mean, it’s a really, really difficult thing to do, and he did it in such an efficient manner.
“It was just in the flow of the game,” said Lowe about his triple-double. “I kind of just realized maybe at halftime just how the games that lanes were opening up for my teammates, rebounds are coming my way. It just kind of came naturally.”
Takeaway #1: Panthers’ three-point shooting much stronger in the second half
Non-conference play presents a lot of firsts each year, and this was a poor showing from outside the perimeter for Pitt basketball. That happened in the first half Monday night as the Panthers shot 16.7% from behind the arc.
It was certainly a surprise for the Panthers to struggle this much behind the arc. Shooting threes hasn’t necessarily been a strong point through the first four games, but it wasn’t a glaring weakness either.
“We just told each other, trust our work,” said Lowe. “We see each other every day in practice because we know the work that we put in, and we trust in all of our guys to make shots. I mean, every single one of us can shoot the ball.
To Pitt’s credit, it was able to improvise and do so very early on in the game. With VMI’s star forward, Augustinas Kiudulas, dealing with foul trouble for much of the game, the Panthers worked the ball inside and played basketball the old-fashioned way; Pitt scored a total of 40 points in the paint.
The game opened up more in the second half which allowed the Panthers to work the ball around better and get open shots. Those quality looks quickly turned into threes from all over the court. Pitt was 10-15 from deep in the second half.
“I think we had good looks in the first half, we just need to make them,” said Jorge Diaz Graham. “But coming into the second half, we knew had the right thing, we just need to trust our shooting. If you look at the stats, I think 10 threes in the second half, so that’s pretty good.”
Takeaway #2: The poor first half was a much-needed wake up call
Despite scoring 39 points in the first half, there wasn’t a lot of positives to take away from the frame for the Panthers. It was filled with silly fouls, poor shot selection and basketball that was tough to watch.
Not that any coach wants to see their team play poorly, but that was the best thing for this Panthers team. They were still riding the high from the win Friday night against West Virginia and was playing down to VMI.
With about three minutes to go in the first half, Pitt led by just three points. The Keydets were one shot away from tying the game. Capel called a timeout and provided his team with some brief words of wisdom.
“My message was simple,” said Capel. “We weren’t playing with the necessary force that we need to play with on either end. It was why we weren’t making shots, and it was why we weren’t able to get stops.”
Takeaway #3: Strong defensive performances are stockpiling
Coming into Monday, Pitt had forced its last two opponents to cough up the basketball 25 times. The desire to force turnovers is now contagious for the Panthers as they forced 15 against VMI.
The turnover department wasn’t the only place Pitt found success with on defense. The Keydets were just 15-60 from the field, including 6-24 from behind the arc. It doesn’t an expert to realize those numbers won’t win you many games.
“We take huge pride in our defense and it starts with our guards,” said Lowe. “Our on-ball pressure, you know, we try and do our best to take it personal and win our matchups. That’s our goal each and every night.”
Pitt had the Keydets right were it wanted them. While some of the shooting struggles were simply due to bad luck, Pitt did it’s part in forcing several bad shots. VMI knew it would take a high-scoring offense to try and force an upset.
“Credit to Pitt, they kicked our rear end,” said VMI head coach Andrew Wilson. “They forced us into six assists and 15 turnovers… sometimes when you get into the competitive ring and you get in there enough, sometimes you’re going to get knocked back.”
For a VMI offense that came into the game averaging 86 points, it says a lot about Pitt’s defense to limit the Keydets to just 43 points. Defensive performances such as this one are going to be important for the Panthers for the rest of the season.
Next Game for Pitt (5-0): vs. LSU (3-0) – Nov. 22 at 2:30 p.m. EST
Next Game for VMI (4-2): at Davidson (3-0) – Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. EST
[…] Panthers started off slow Monday night in the win against VMI, but a strong second half propelled Pitt to victory and stay undefeated heading into the […]