Pitt Basketball: Panthers Survive Virginia Tech’s Upset Bid In Double Overtime
By Brett Tunno
Feb 8, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard James Robinson (0) drives to the basket against Virginia Tech Hokies guard/forward Jarell Eddie (31) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Coming off a rare two-game home losing streak (to Duke and Virginia), the No. 25 Pitt Panthers men’s basketball team hosted Virginia Tech, which came into Saturday afternoon with the worst record in the ACC at 1-9.
Pitt was looking to clinch their 13th consecutive 20-win season, but the milestone did not come easy.
The Panthers (20-4, 8-3 ACC) struggled for much of the game at Petersen Events Center, but managed to stave off Virginia Tech for a 62-57 win in double overtime.
In a game where senior guard Lamar Patterson struggled mightily (1 of 9 shooting, five points) with a thumb injury, junior guard Cameron Wright finished with 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, and sophomore point guard James Robinson added 16 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists.
For Virginia Tech (8-15, 1-10 ACC), senior guard Jarell Eddie knocked down three 3-pointers for 15 points and five rebounds. Sophomore forward Joey Van Zegeren and McKees Rocks native freshman point guard Devin Wilson each scored 10 points for the Hokies.
In the second half, Virginia Tech went up 34-29 for their largest lead with 16 minutes remaining. The Hokies and Panthers battled back and forth, and Van Zegeren, a 33 percent free-throw shooter, knocked down two free throws to give Virginia Tech a 48-44 lead with 41 seconds left.
With 36 seconds left in the game, Pitt’s Robinson buried a 3-pointer in the corner and was fouled. Robinson converted the free throw, and the game went to overtime at 48-48.
In overtime, neither team scored a basket, as four free throws were scored by each team. Patterson made his first point of the game from a free throw at the 1:28 mark of OT. Patterson and Wilson missed shots near the end of the overtime, sending the game into double overtime.
The only field goal of the second OT came at the 4:20 mark when Patterson drove and knocked down a layup. Virginia Tech continued to struggle from the field, and Pitt converted enough free throws, especially from Newkirk, to survive an ugly game.
In the first half, Wright led Pitt in scoring with nine points and 2 of 4 3-point shooting, followed by six points from true freshman point guard Josh Newkirk off of the bench. For the Hokies, Eddie scored nine points on 3 of 5 from behind the arc. Van Zegeren scored eight points.
Pitt’s leading scorer Patterson was held scoreless on 0 of 3 shooting, and his right thumb was bandaged. His two 3-point attempts were well off the mark, and it appeared that his thumb injury may have been bothering him.
Pitt went into the break with a 27-26 lead, as Virginia Tech shot an impressive 52.4 percent from the field (50 percent from 3). Pitt shot 45.5 percent and was outrebounded 14-9 going into the half.
Two concerns from this game are that Patterson’s injury appeared to disrupt his shooting, and that Pitt was outrebounded 43-28. For Pitt to knock off No. 1 Syracuse, they will need a healthy Patterson, and the Pitt Panthers will need to rebound better.
Pitt looked emotionless at times against Virginia Tech, and some fans may question why Dixon continued to keep Patterson in the game despite his injury. Regardless, Pitt was able to secure its 20th win of the season, and they shouldn’t need motivation for their next game.
No. 25 Pitt will host No. 1 and unbeaten Syracuse on Wednesday night, and Virginia Tech will host Miami next Saturday.