Fast start crushes Wildcats
Panthers cruise to ‘Challenge’ win
EVANSTON, Ill. — In each of Pitt’s three wins last week, Jeff Capel struggled to provide an answer as to why it took until the second half for his men’s basketball team to get going. Perhaps the Panthers’ slow starts were simply a product of being in the wrong time zone.
After setting their watches back an hour when they arrived in the Windy City, the Panthers wasted no time finding their rhythm Monday evening, jumping out to an early lead they never surrendered in an 8758 victory against Northwestern (5-2) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at WelshRyan Arena.
Pitt’s successful guard play was centered around two areas in which it struggled in losses earlier this month — outside shooting and ball movement.
Nelly Cummings led the way for the Panthers (5-3), delivering a solid effort in all areas of the floor. The veteran point guard ended the night with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds. He also drew a pair of offensive
fouls on the defensive end.
Cummings wasn’t the only member of the Pitt backcourt who gave the Wildcats headaches — fellow starting guards Greg Elliott and Jamarius Burton also had big nights, finishing with 18 and 14 points, respectively. Blake Hinson was once again Pitt’s most prolific scorer, tallying a teambest 20 points on the night. Nike Sibande chipped in off the bench, scoring 11 points in the victory.
Most of those high scoring totals were accumulated from 3-point-range. The Panthers ended the night shooting a season-best 63.6% from behind the arc. Cummings, Elliott, Hinson and Sibande all nailed at least three triples.
Those looks from the outside were created by crisp passes around the arc. Pitt delivered its most efficient performance as a team, producing a season-high 22 assists while turning the ball over only 10 times.
Key stat
The Panthers scored 37 points in the opening half against Northwestern and none were tallied by big men.
Starting center John Hugley IV, along with reserve forwards Fede Federiko and Jorge Diaz Graham, provided little assistance to Pitt’s strong offensive showing early on, attempting just a pair of shots from the floor.
Federiko ended the Panthers’ scoreless streak down low with a dunk three minutes into the second half. The basket would be the only two points Pitt’s big men scored until the final four minutes of the game.