Pitt Falls to Second Mid-Major Team with 80-73 Loss to Hofstra
PITTSBURGH — Pitt looked to close out its four-game homestand with a win over the Coastal Athletic Conference’s Hofstra, but it was far from that for the Panthers.
While Pitt pulled within three in the second half, Hofstra largely kept the Panthers at arm’s length for an upset 80-73 victory Sunday at the Petersen Events Center.
The loss to Hofstra marks the second against a mid-major opponent this season to go along with an 83-75 loss against Quinnipiac to start the homestand. In his eight seasons at Pitt, head coach Jeff Capel has now lost nine games against mid-major opponents.
Hofstra (6-4) junior guard Cruz Davis was a one-man show all game long as he was nearly unstoppable with a career-high 36 points with five triples and seven assists. Hofstra shot 52.7 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three.
Pitt (5-5) sophomore Brandin Cummings, who has been in and out of the lineup this season with injuries, put together a career effort with 34 points, 30 of which came in the second half. He shot 5-of-8 from three. Barry Dunning Jr. was also in double figures with 13 points and eight rebounds.
It has been a significant struggle for the Panthers this season to score from the floor prior to the first media timeout. Pitt saw one shot fall in from Roman Siulepa before the first timeout and turned over the ball twice with Omari Witherspoon trying to feed it inside Cam Corhen, who missed his first five shots of the game.
Hofstra started to construct its lead thanks to the electric play from Davis as he found his stroke from beyond the arc, but also drove into the teeth of the Pitt defense and had his way. Davis poured in 19 points in the first half.
Pitt received 3-pointers from Nojus Indrusaitis and Barry Dunning Jr. in the first frame, but the Panthers’ least-threatening shooters from beyond the arc decided to try their luck and came up empty-handed with Corhen and Siulepa a combined 0-for-4 from three.
As Pitt had miscommunication issues on the defensive end, Hofstra picked apart the Panthers. The Pride strung together a 20-4 run across a seven-minute stretch in the first half with Davis, Jaeden Roberts and Victory Onuetu sharing the scoring.
Pitt faced its steepest halftime deficit of the season, trailing 36-23. The Pride shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, while the Panthers shot a measly 35 percent.
Any quick adjustments expected out of the break for Pitt were absent in the opening minute as Hofstra attacked the paint in a hurry. Back-to-back buckets from Onuetu led to a Jeff Capel timeout.
The timeout led to a spark from the Panthers and it primarily came beyond the arc. The Panthers were 5-of-6 from three in the early portion of the second half. Brandin Cummings led the way with three buckets from deep. Pitt cut the deficit to six at the 13:03 mark after a Damarco Minor trey.
Every time the Panthers pulled within reach, Hofstra seemingly had an answer whether that was Davis scoring with ease or German Plotnikov draining a triple for the Pride. Hofstra regained a sizable 13-point lead with 6:39 to go after another Davis three.
Pitt will hit the road for the first time in nearly a month when it makes the trek across the Keystone State to take on Villanova on Dec. 13. Tip is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Finneran Pavilion.
