Pitt Basketball: Jamel Artis Scores 32 Points To Help Avoid Scare Against Bryant
By Brett Tunno
Most fans thought this game would be a blowout.
In a rare non-conference game in the middle of ACC play, Pitt hosted the Bryant Bulldogs from the Northeast Conference.
Bryant came to play, and most of the Pitt Panthers did not.
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Thank goodness sophomore forward Jamel Artis and sophomore guard Josh Newkirk did.
Artis single-handedly carried Pitt, scoring a career-high 32 points and knocking down a pair of free throws to secure a 72-67 win that was not easy.
Pitt came into the contest with a 203-29 overall record, 117-3 record against non-conference opponents, a 71-1 record against NEC teams, and a 30-game home non-conference win streak.
Bryant nearly pulled off an improbable upset against a Pitt team who had just upset No. 8 Notre Dame two days ago.
Phew.
For Pitt (15-8, 4-5 ACC), the Panthers were led by Artis’ 32 points on 11 of 17 shooting, while sophomore guard Josh Newkirk added 11 points with 3 three-pointers, and senior guard Cameron Wright scored 11 points and knocked down a critical jumper late to give Pitt a 3-point advantage with 16 seconds left.
For Bryant (10-11), sophomore forward Dan Garvin scored a career-high 24 points, senior guard Dyami Starks scored 17 points, and junior guard Shane McLaughlin nearly recorded a triple-double, scoring 10 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds.
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Bryant shot 51%, as Pitt continues to struggle defensively. On the bright side, a scorer has emerged for the Panthers, as Jamel Artis has been scoring 20+ each night.
An alarming stat is that the Pitt bench has been invisible, as only Chris Jones knocked down a late jumper to give Pitt a 1-point lead.
Pitt fell into a 23-15 hole in the first ten minutes of the game, but then went on a 17-2 run to lead 32-25.
Bryant punched back, taking a 36-34 lead into the half.
Jamel Artis knocked down his first 6 shots of the second half, essentially hitting nothing but net. He was on fire as Pitt took a 53-46 lead 9 minutes into the half.
Pitt then went extremely cold, not scoring a point in over five minutes, and Bryant went on an 11-0 run to take a 57-53 lead.
An Artis three-pointer, followed by a Newkirk three-pointer tied the game at 64. A Starks lay-up gave Bryant a 67-66 advantage with 2:25 remaining.
Chris Jones made a jumper with 1:13 left to give Pitt back the lead. Wright then made a key jumper to make it 70-67, and Starks missed a three-pointer in an attempt to tie the game.
It was not expected to be close, but Pitt survived a huge scare tonight.
Pitt will host Syracuse next Saturday.