1st-half dooms Pitt
daunting schedule continues to lurk.
“I would say that we have enough experience out there with Jamel [Artis] and Chris [Jones] to run good offense,” Pitt coach Kevin Stallings said. “We just didn’t. We just didn’t execute well and they played well in the first half. And then that roll starts and they start making shots and they’re all hyped and their energy gets way up because every shot they look at goes in, then you’ve got the snowball going in the wrong direction for you.”
After a layup on an aggressive drive from Jones got Pitt within six, 14-8, with 13:50 remaining in the first half, the Panthers went the next 8:38 without a single point and the following 11:18 without a made field goal. In that scoreless span, they missed all 10 of their shots, had six turnovers (as many as they would have in the other 32 minutes of play) and had three shots blocked by Tyler Roberson, Syracuse’s gangly forward. The repeated woes even forced Stallings to call a timeout with 12 minutes remaining in the half, well before the last minute of a half, when he typically does so.
While those struggles ensued, the Orange made eight of its 13 shots, and six of its 10 3-pointers, to take a commanding 36-8 lead. The 22 unanswered points were the second-most ever from a Pitt opponent. By halftime — with Syracuse leading, 42-21 — Pitt had missed 23 of its first 29 shots, and Artis and Mike Young, the ACC’s two leading scorers entering the day, were a combined two of 13 for six points. The Orange, conversely, drained 16 of its 27 attempts.
“It’s frustrating, when you’re down a lot and the ball goes in and spins out,” Artis said. “We couldn’t get loose balls, we couldn’t get rebounds, we were giving up shots and they played tremendous D. That’s frustrating.”
The loss snapped a fivegame win streak against Syracuse, with Saturday’s defeat displaying few of the characteristics that had helped Pitt have such success the past two seasons.
Syracuse shot 51.9 percent, including an identical clip from 3, the latter of which is the highest such mark, by far, the Panthers have allowed this season. The Orange averaged 1.24 points per possession, also a season-high for a Pitt opponent.
Following an overtime win Wednesday against No. 11 Virginia, one spurred by an exceptional team shooting performance, Pitt struggled to find its shot for large stretches of the afternoon, making just 35.1 percent of its field goals and going without a made 3 for the game’s opening 21:21. Young was repeatedly badgered whenever he received the ball in the high post, preventing him from getting open mid-range jumpers and limiting the available options for a pass. Syracuse’s length, with four starters standing at least 6- foot-6, notably jarred a Panthers team accustomed to having a size advantage against opponents.
“It was a really good effort,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “Pittsburgh is a tremendous offensive team, I think one of the best offensive teams in the country. They showed that in the second half. But in the first half, our defense was the difference.”
Pitt’s showing Saturday was far from an irredeemable flop. For 31:22 of the game’s 40 minutes, it outscored the Orange, 66-55, while shooting a more respectable 42.5 percent from the floor.
For much of the second half, the Panthers looked like the team they aspire to be. At that point, however, it was too late.
“You can’t wait 16 minutes into the game,” Stallings said. “You can’t let the other team dominate the game for 16 minutes. Not in that capacity.”