After beating Miami last weekend, Pittsburgh looked to carry the momentum against Syracuse, looking to sweep their long-time rival on Tuesday. However, it was an awful start by them, down by as much as 16 points in the first half. They were able to cut the deficit to seven (41-34), before going on a big run in the second half to eventually take the lead.
The Panthers came back to win 80-69 over Syracuse for a Quad 3 win to move to 16-10 and 7-8 in ACC play. Here are some takeaways from the win.
Zack Austin’s play for 40 minutes
It was arguably the best performance from the senior forward in a Pitt uniform, tying a team-high with 19 points on 8/10 FG shooting, along with 3/4 from deep and three blocks. His early production allowed the Panthers to stay in the game and he played nearly all 40 minutes, as the injury to Damian Dunn has shorted the depth in the frontcourt. Ish Leggett also had 19 points, and Jaland Lowe chipped in with 17, but the team MVP was Austin.
Guillermo Diaz-Graham the unsung hero
It was a rough game for Cam Corhen, finishing with four points and four rebounds in 20 minutes, struggling against Eddie Lampkin. But GDG played fantastic in his place at the five-spot, producing eight points, eight rebounds, and a season-high four blocks inside. He made a couple of threes in the comeback while limiting Lampkin to just seven points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. Most importantly, Pitt and Syracuse tied in the rebounding battle at 34, a big improvement from their first go-around.
Poor starts part of a trend
The Panthers didn’t score for the first six minutes and turned it over five times before making their first shot. Yes, Syracuse was red-hot from deep, but they’re one of the worst defenses in the ACC, so the struggles by Pitt on offense were self-inflicted. This happened against Miami and, before that, against SMU. They can’t afford to do that on the road against a potent Notre Dame squad because they might not be able to climb out of the next hole they dig for themselves.