Pitt Panthers’ junior guard James Robinson scored the Panthers first five points of the game, but it was what Robinson did at the end of the game that meant the most as Pitt put an end to a three-game losing streak with a 76-72 upset of No. 8 Notre Dame Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt watched an eight-point lead disappear throughout the game’s final three minutes and trailed by one with 12 seconds left after Robinson missed a free throw and Jerian Grant knocked down a pair for the Irish at the other end to give Notre Dame a 72-71 lead with 31 seconds remaining.
But after a Pitt timeout, Robinson hit a runner in the lane with 12 seconds left on the clock to give the Panthers a 73-72 lead.
“I just wanted to make a play,” said Robinson. “The play was for me to come off the hand off and just make a play. I just turned the corner and made the basket. My team had faith in me and coach called a good play.”
ND had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Steve Vasturia missed an open three-point attempt from the corner.
Robinson finished the day with 15 points and 10 assists in the win, his first career double-double, but it was the job that he did defensively on Grant for most of the afternoon that proved to be just as big.
Grant finished the afternoon with 14 points and just three assists and while most of his points came very late as he scored all nine ND points in a 9-0 run that turned a 71-63 deficit into a 72-71 lead, Pitt did a very solid job in limiting his production.
“It was a team effort,” said Robinson. “We switched a lot so a lot of guys got to check him. We just wanted to try and not let him get the ball as much as possible. When he gets the ball in his hands he is very effective so we just wanted to deny him the ball as much as possible.”
In addition to the big game from Robinson, Pitt also got big days from Jamel Artis, who finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, both team highs.
Michael Young added 16 points and Cameron Wright chipped in 14 for Pitt.
The Panthers also had a season-high 24 assists.
“It was great to see the ball movement and the passing, “said Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon. “It was great to see these guys get this win. They have been working hard and have put the effort in. It was a win against a real good team. They made big plays all the way through.”
Defense wasn’t on the menu as both teams shot very well from the floor. Pitt finished the day shooting 58.5 percent (31-for-53) while the Irish made 53.1 percent (26-for 49) of their attempts.
Dixon made a late lineup switch that saw Josh Newkirk start ahead of Chris Jones, with the idea of getting more penetration from their guards to create more open shots.
It worked and for a change Pitt knocked down their shots in volume.
“I wanted to get Chris to add some scoring off the bench, which was big in the second half,” said Dixon. “The big thing though was to push the ball and get some transition baskets and Josh helped with that. Josh did some good things. I know his numbers aren’t great, but he got some penetration and had some good drives. He helped out a lot early.”
The Panthers got off to a very hot start from the floor, making their first five shots from the floor, taking a quick 11-6 lead.
But Pitt went into a scoring drought for the next five minutes and Notre Dame responded with a 14-2 run that saw them take a 20-13 lead.
Pitt caught fire again though and went through a span where they made 9-of-11 shot attempts and went back on top 37-34, before the Irish scored the final four points of the half to take a 38-37 lead into the locker room.
The win was big for Pitt as they not only snap their losing streak, but they needed a marquee win to start a streak and potentially get back into the conversation for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
Pitt is now 14-3 all-time against Top 10 teams at home.
Notre Dame had won 16-of-17 coming into Saturday.
The Irish were led in scoring by Demetrius Jackson with 15 points. Vasturia had 12 and Zach Auguste added 12 points and six boards.
“I think the major story of the game is how well Pitt played at both ends of the floor,” said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. “They were in a rhythm offensively and they were good defensively. James Robinson made it really hard on Jerian. It was one of those games we deserved to lose by 15, but somehow we still had a chance to win it at the end. A lot of credit has to go to Pitt. They are an NCAA Tournament team.”
Pitt will be back in action on Monday with a non-conference matchup against Bryant at the Petersen Events Center.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
