Villanova Downs Pitt, 79-61, in First Meeting Since 2013
VILLANOVA, Pa. — Pitt and Villanova had their fair share of heated battles back when the Panthers resided in the Big East, but the two foes have not met in over a decade since Pitt moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference — until Saturday.
Pitt held a six-game winning streak over Villanova dating back to 2010, but that came to an end as the Wildcats defeated Pitt, 79-61, at the Finneran Pavilion.
Despite Pitt (5-6) out-rebounding Villanova (8-2) 36-27, the Panthers could not limit the Wildcats’ timely scoring runs of 12, 10 and nine.
Bryce Lindsay and Duke Brennan posted a game-high of 24 points apiece. Lindsay nailed four triples, while Brennan went a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor and added nine rebounds.
Pitt shot 42 percent from the floor and went 5-of-22 (23%) from deep. Barry Dunning Jr. led Pitt with 17 points, while Nojus Indrusaitis added 14 off the bench.
It was the first true road environment since Pitt was overwhelmed in front of a raucous West Virginia crowd. Pitt’s growth showed in the early goings from the mid-November night in Morgantown. The Panthers communicated well and moved the ball efficiently on the offensive side against the Wildcats.
Dunning and Damarco Minor sank threes in the opening minutes to push Pitt ahead before Villanova started to find a rhythm from beyond the arc and in the paint with Brennan. A Christian Jeffrey three gave Villanova a 17-12 lead with 13:18 in the first half.
Pitt flipped momentum with its work on the glass, especially offensively. The Panthers grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half with 11 second-chance points.
Along with its rebounding performance midway through the first half, Pitt also found success on its inbounds plays as Indrusaitis and Cam Corhen scored quickly on set plays as the Panthers gathered a 28-24.
Pitt’s efforts offensively did not carry over to the defensive side of the floor as Villanova shot 54 percent in the first half and out-scored the Panthers 17-4 in the final six minutes of the half. Lindsay canned a pair of triples, while Brennan continued to give Pitt fits inside the paint as the big man wore down the Panthers and drew several fouls. Villanova held a 41-32 lead at the break.
Dunning went on a personal 8-0 run to kick off Pitt’s scoring in the second half. Back-to-back triples from Dunning brought the deficit to four points, but then Villanova responded.
A jumper and 3-pointer from Hodge, work at the charity stripe for Brennan and an Acaden Lewis layup spelled a 9-0 Wildcat run. Pitt saw a pair of possessions go to the wayside with turnovers during that stretch.
Pitt chipped away with layups from Indrusaitis and Brandin Cummings, who went 0-for-5 from three, but Villanova once again went on another 10-0 run. Pitt failed to finish at the rim, while the Wildcats found success in doing so as Lindsay finished a three-point play at the free-throw line to make it 71-55 with 4:23 to go.
The Panthers home Wednesday for a matchup against Binghamton. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.
