Pitt prevails at Syracuse, halts four-game slide

Jaland Lowe had 22 points and six assists to guide Pitt to a 77-73 road victory over Syracuse on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference action.

Ishmael Leggett added 16 points and Cameron Corhen chipped in 12 for the Panthers (13-6, 4-4 ACC), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Zack Austin and Damian Dunn each notched 10 points for the visitors.

J.J. Starling scored 16 points to pace Syracuse (9-11, 3-6), which has dropped three of its last four games. Eddie Lampkin corralled a career-high 23 rebounds to go with 10 points for the Orange.

Pitt led 67-64 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining when Austin swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Syracuse got it back to a three-point game with 31.6 seconds left. But the Panthers broke the Orange press, capped by Austin's dunk with 30 seconds left.

Syracuse then pushed the ball up the court and Chris Bell made a 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play, making it 73-71. However, Lowe and Austin each went 2-of-2 from the foul line down the stretch as Pitt held on.

Syracuse led 13-4 after about 3 1/2 minutes, but Pitt caught up at 18-all. The game was close for the remainder of the first half with the Orange taking a 33-32 lead into the locker room.

Leggett led all scorers with 12 points in the first half. He and Corhen combined to shoot 7 of 15 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while their teammates were 3 of 15.

Early in the second half, the Panthers used a quick 7-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 41-38 advantage. The Orange drew even at 45-all, but Lowe scored six points during an 8-0 burst as Pitt went ahead for good.

Austin's 3-pointer increased the Panthers' lead to 61-52 with under seven minutes to go, but 3-pointers by Starling and Bell helped the Orange claw within 65-61 with about 4 1/2 minutes left.

--Field Level Media