Needing a big win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, the Pitt Panthers needed to go into a building they are very familiar with and defeat a former Big East Conference rival they defeated just two weeks prior.
Thanks to a 16 point, six assist and six rebound effort from Jamel Artis and some hot shooting from Chris Jones, Pitt went into the Carrier Dome and knocked off Syracuse 65-61, keeping those slim tournament hopes alive.
Things didn’t come easy for Pitt (18-10, 7-7 ACC) as Syracuse (17-10, 8-6 ACC), who trailed by 11 points twice in the second half, came all the way back and cut the lead to 61-60 on a 3-pointer by BJ Johnson late in the second half.
However Pitt point guard James Robinson stepped to the line and knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Panthers some breathing room.
Rakeem Christmas recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Orange. And while Michael Gbinije had 12 points and Johnson finished with 11, a big part of the Pitt win came in the fact that they held Trevor Cooney scoreless. Cooney came into the game averaging 14.2 points per contest.
Michael Young added points for the Panthers and Robinson dished out eight assists on the afternoon.
But the big story was Jones, who tied a career-high with 19.
Jones knocked down 5-of-6 shots from behind the arc and did most of his damage early on as he scored 11 straight Panthers’ points in the first half as Pitt built up a 31-25 halftime lead.
The win is only Pitt’s second ACC win on the road this season.
The Panthers will continue to try and bolster their tournament resume when they take on Boston College Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center,
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
