In just the third home game for the Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3), the visiting St. Bonaventure Bonnies (6-2) brought all Jamie Dixon’s team could handle into the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt won 58-54, holding on in the second half and even trailing at one point late, to improve to 113-3 all-time at the Pete against non-conference opponents. Since it opened in 2002, the Panthers are now 55-2 there in the month of December.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 11-5 lead and forced eight Bonnies turnovers just minutes into the game, but failing to take full advantage of that good fortune allowed the visitors back into the game rather quickly. A slow pace and a lot of missed shots on both sides resulted in a halftime score of 25-24, in favor of St. Bonaventure.
Out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Bonnies came into the game not having played any opponent from a major conference yet this season. The scene was not too much for them to handle though, as the game remained close until the middle portion of the second half when Pitt began to pull away. A 13-2 run gave Pitt a 42-31 lead with 11 minutes remaining, the largest at any point in the game. But St. Bonaventure chipped away, going away on a 16-2 run of their own in response to take a 47-44 lead with under six minutes remaining. A sequence including a Josh Newkirk three-pointer and a Michael Young dunk on a beautiful assist by Jamel Artis gave Pitt the lead again. Newkirk and Young scored the rest of Pitt’s points along the way as they did not relinquish the lead, having to make several free throws down the stretch.
With five seconds left and a 55-52 advantage, Newkirk fouled three-point shooter Jaylen Adams and gave him three shots at the foul line. Adams missed the shot and missed the middle of the three free throws, keeping Pitt ahead and forcing St. Bonaventure to foul again. Young made both free throws for a 57-54 lead and the Bonnies turned it over on a full-court heave with under two seconds remaining to seal the win for Pitt.
Artis and Young led Pitt scorers with 14 each, Chris Jones added 11 and Newkirk and James Robinson each had nine. Senior Cameron Wright made the start for Pitt in his second game back from injury, but he played minimally, scoring just one point. He was 0-4 shooting from the field. Robinson left the floor at one point late in the game after getting elbowed in the head, but he returned and finished the game.
For the Bonnies, Marcus Posley led all scorers with 17 and Dion Wright added ten. There were only five points off the bench for St. Bonaventure and, as a team, they shot just 36 percent and 68 percent at the free throw line. Pitt made 40 percent of its shots, but only 65 percent at the line. The Bonnies won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Pitt 37-33 to go along with nine steals. Pitt had seven blocks on the defensive end.
The Panthers now continue a six-game stretch at home that stretches throughout much of December, with the next game coming Wednesday against the Manhattan Jaspers (2-5). Also coming up: Oakland, Holy Cross and Florida Gulf Coast, before the ACC portion of the schedule opens after the new year.
