Pitt rallies for win over Syracuse

PITTSBURGH » Jamel Artis scored 20 points including the clinching 3-pointer with a minute to play and Pittsburgh rallied past Syracuse 83-77 on Saturday.

Sheldon Jeter added a seasonhigh 18 points for Pitt (16-8, 5-5 ACC) while filling in after senior guard Cam Wright left in the first half with a left ankle injury as the Panthers won their third straight while ending a three-game losing streak to the Orange.

Rakeem Christmas and Michael Gbinije led Syracuse (158, 6-4) with 23 points each but the Orange crumbled down the stretch three days after the school announced a self-imposed postseason ban for the program stem-

ming from possible NCAA violations that date back eight years.

The Panthers trailed by as much as 10 early but rallied behind Jeter, a transfer from Vanderbilt who came in averaging just 3 points per game.

That all changed when Wright’s injury forced Pitt coach Jamie Dixon to go to his bench, which has been inconsistent at best during an uneven season.

Pitt trailed for the first 24 minutes before taking its first lead at 51-50 on a free throw by Jeter, setting up a taut back-and-forth reminiscent of the countless battles between the two schools during their days in the Big East. There were nine lead changes and eight ties, almost all of them coming in the last 16 minutes.

A free throw by Christmas tied the game at 73 with 2:42 to play, but the Panthers ended things with a 10-4 run. Artis started the burst with a lay-up and Jeter followed with a 15-footer. Two free throws by Christmas made it a two-point game before Artis buried a 3 from the top of the key. Gbinije made a running layup but Jeter put back a miss for his seventh and final field goal and the Panthers held on.

Any concerns about the ban sucking the energy out of the rest of the year quickly vanished for the Orange. Syracuse took control early, leading by as much as 10 behind a mix of slashes to the basket by Gbinije, hook shots by Christmas and a couple of 3-point heaves from Trevor Cooney.

The Panthers eventually steadied themselves thanks in large part to Robinson. A reluctant shooter early in his career, the junior has become Pitt’s most reliable outside threat. He knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half as the Panthers closed within 40-38 at the break despite being outscored in the paint 2610 and allowing the Orange to shoot 57 percent from the field. TIP-INS Syracuse: Christmas spent several moments getting tended to by the trainers in the first half after getting whacked in the mouth. ... The loss ended Syracuse’s longest winning streak against the Panthers since the Orange won seven in a row over Pitt from 19982001.

Pitt: Wright, Pitt’s fourthleading scorer, appeared to injure the ankle while landing awkwardly after missing a jump shot in the corner less than 4 minutes into the game. He jogged back down the court before being replaced. Wright missed the Panthers’ first seven games while recovering from a foot injury suffered in September. UP NEXT Syracuse plays at Boston College on Wednesday

Pitt travels to Louisville on Wednesday.