PITTSBURGH — After an up-and-down battle all game, Minnesota came out on top of Pitt in a tight ACC/Big Ten Challenge battle at the Petersen Events Center by a score of 54-53.
After the Gophers called timeout with 7 seconds remaining to set up a play, Minnesota’s Luke Loewe followed a missed lay up with what turned into the game-winning tip-in.
With just over two seconds remaining, Pitt’s Femi Odukale threw up a half-court attempt that came up wide left, giving Minnesota the victory.
With the loss, Pitt falls to 2-5 going into ACC play.
Minnesota was led by Jamison Battle, who finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds, as well as guard Payton Willis, who had 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
While Pitt’s guards and wings struggled to score in the first half, sophomore John Hugley took it upon himself to handle the load from the very start, dropping 15 in the opening frame and capping it off with a buzzer-beating three.
Hugley was once again a monster inside for the Panthers in the second half, and finished with a team-high 25 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, good for his third double-double of the year.
Walk-on Onye Ezeakudo played his best game of the year for Pitt, setting up his teammates well, taking care of the ball, and scoring five. The Fort Wayne, Indiana native got the crowd on its feet with a smooth left-handed finger roll lay-up in the second to give Pitt its largest lead of the game.
Pitt also received contributions from forwards Mo Gueye and William Jeffress, who combined for 7 points and 16 rebounds. The team’s starting guards, Odukale and Jamarius Burton, finished with six points apiece.
As a team, Pitt shot 39.2% from the field, 66.7% from the free-throw line, and just 21.4% from three-point land. Defensively, the Panthers allowed Minnesota to shoot 36% from both the field and three-point territory.
Pitt’s next game comes on Friday, Nov. 3, when the Panthers open ACC play at Virginia. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.
Hugley needs to transfer out as soon as possible….needs to look out for himself and his career. No one wants to play for capel…zero recruits next year. So he’d have this same garbage roster to play with next year. Get out while you can…..and he will. Program is about rock bottom now….after losing every acc game, it should be enough to get capel fired. This team would lose to IUP. Enough of the capel dumpster fire
You expected a different result? Of course Pitt/Capel would blow this game in the end.
This one was on the dunce on Desoto street Capel. I am no expert as one commenter said previously, but here are a few points to consider. Why did Hugley after dominating the first 35 minutes not touch the ball in the final 5 minutes? Why was Ezeakudo removed in the final five minutes after playing his best game of his career?The final 3 shots taken were by Jeffress and Burton. Neither could hit the Pacific Ocean if they were standing on the beach. And last where was the block out on the missed driving lay up at the end… Read more »
Pacific Ocean? You know the beaches are a lot bigger out there, right? lol S/