Pitt Drops First Test of the Season to Florida, 86-71

On Wednesday night, Pitt fell to Florida in the first round of the Preseason NIT multi-team event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, 86-71.

Pitt kept this one tight throughout the majority of the first half, but the Gators’ Walter Clayton Jr. and Tyrese Samuel dominated Pitt throughout the rest of the matchup en route to the victory.

Pitt jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game, as the Panthers knocked down each of their first three shots of the game and Florida missed its first three.

Pitt earned early buckets from Blake Hinson, Ishmael Leggett, and Bub Carrington, as each showed off their individual skill sets and the Panthers’ defense caused the Gators to struggle. The Panthers eventually built up their lead to 19-10, but shortly after, Florida stormed back, going on an 8-0 run behind Clayton and company.

Throughout the remainder of the half, Pitt and Florida traded buckets, and the Gators finally took their first lead of the game with 35 seconds to go in the frame as Pitt’s shot selection began to waver. As the buzzer rang, Florida’s Thomas Haugh drained a deep three pointer, his first of the game, to give Florida its highest lead to that point, 39-34. At the half, the Panthers were shooting 34% from the field and 29% from three, and the Gators were shooting 42% from the field as well as 36% from three-point range.

In the second half, Pitt quickly erased the Gators lead on a Hinson layup followed by a corner three from Leggett, tying the game at 39. Leggett continued to pace the Panthers, despite Florida’s Clayton catching fire. After Clayton kickstarted a 10-2 Gators run, the Leggett replied with a corner three pointer to keep the Panthers within striking range.

While Pitt tried to hang tight with the Gators, Florida exploded for yet another run, this time scoring nine points in a row while the Panthers hit just one of eight field goals. After being fouled on a three-point attempt while down seven, Hinson missed all three free throws at the stripe as the Gators retained all the momentum.

In the final ten minutes, Florida continued to punish the Panthers for their lackluster shot selection. Pitt’s scoring struggles continued, while Clayton and the Gators kept their foot on the gas. Florida built its lead all the way up to 15 with 7:52 to go, and the Gators never looked back.

Pitt tried to claw back in late as a Hinson free throw trimmed the lead down to ten with 2:42 remaining, but it was too little, too late.

Clayton finished as the game’s leading scorer, finishing with 28. Samuel led the front court battle down low, finishing with 20 points and ten rebounds.

For Pitt, Leggett led the way with 19 points on 7-for-20 shooting. Hinson followed with 16, hitting five-of his 15 attempts. Carrington, with the Gators focused on locking him up, scored 14 points and dished out seven assists. Zack Austin scored ten points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for Pitt in the loss.

Pitt finished the game with a 35% shooting percentage, including a 29% mark from three-point range. The Panthers once again struggled at the free-throw line in the loss, hitting just 13 of their 21 attempts (62%).

With the loss, Pitt falls to 4-1 on the year and will now take on Oregon State in the third-place game on Friday at Barclays Center. That game will take place at 3 p.m.