Second-half surge sends Pitt past Syracuse

Field Level Media|published: Tue 18th February, 21:42 2025

Feb 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel yells to his team during the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Powered by 19 points apiece from Zack Austin and Ishmael Leggett, Pitt rallied to take down visiting Syracuse 79-70 Tuesday night.

The Panthers (16-10, 7-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) kept their flickering NCAA Tournament at-large hopes alive with their second win in a row. Syracuse (11-16, 5-11) has lost three straight.

It was a story of two halves, the first was all Syracuse, while Pitt dominated the second.

The Orange entered the contest shooting 32 percent from beyond the arc, placing them 15th in the 18-team ACC, but they found their range in the first half.

Syracuse jumped out to a 9-0 lead as Pitt went more than five minutes without a point to start the game. The lead was as big as 16 after the Orange's Chris Bell hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the first half.

Pitt shifted to a 1-2-2 press that slowed the Orange attack, but didn't stop Syracuse all the way. JJ Starling sank two treys in a 36-second span to make it 33-24 for the Orange, and Lucas Taylor buried a 3-pointer with 1:38 left in the half for a 41-30 edge. Syracuse shot 9-for-16 from 3-point distance before the break and took a 41-34 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, it was Pitt making all the big shots while the Orange struggled to get anything going. Pitt tied the game for the first time at 51 after a steal and layup by Jaland Lowe with 13:15 remaining.

The Panthers took the lead for the first time, 58-56, on a 3-pointer by Leggett with 9:25 left and never looked back. Lowe's trey was the second basket in a decisive 10-0 run that turned the game in the Panthers' favor for good.

Lowe returned to the lineup after missing Pitt's Saturday win over Miami while in concussion protocol. He got poked in the eye three minutes into the Tuesday game and missed some time, but he finished with 17 points.

The Orange finished 14 of 33 (42.4 percent) from 3-point range, the most threes they have made all season. Bell registered a game-high 23 points, while Starling had 14.

--Field Level Media

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