Pitt Dominates Virginia to Extend Win Streak to Four, 74-63

The Panthers are on fire.

On Tuesday night, Pitt basketball took advantage of a massive opportunity in ACC play by knocking off the No. 21 team in the nation — Virginia — and doing so in dominant fashion.

Pitt came out shooting from outside early and often, attempting three three-pointers in the first three minutes of the game. However, Pitt missed all three, and trailed 4-2 early on. Minutes later, the Panthers jumped out to a 13-4 run behind two three pointers from Bub Carrington, one from Guillermo Diaz-Graham, and one from Ishmael Leggett.

Pitt had built a 22-15 lead with just over 11 minutes to play. Despite some early misses from its leading scorer Hinson, Pitt was in business.

However, the Cavaliers were not going to go away anytime soon. Virginia took the lead with just over six minutes to go in the first half, holding Pitt scoreless for more than two-straight minutes around that time to slow the Panthers down. Jaland Lowe and Hinson replied with back-to-back threes of their own, and after another cold streak, the Panthers scored the final five points of the first half to take a 35-31 lead into the half.

In the second half, Hinson opened the scoring with a wide-open three, bringing his total up to 12 points. However, on the other end, transfer wing Andrew Rohde drained a triple of his own to match. Shortly after a few empty Pitt possessions, Virginia big man Jordan Minor finished a scoop-and-score on the other end to tie the game at 38 with just under 18 minutes to play.

Veteran guard Reece Beekman converted an and-one floater with just under 16 minutes to play. building the Cavaliers’ lead up to three points, 43-40, and extending Virginia’s run to 12-2. Pitt finally brought an end to the run with a three pointer from Leggett, fresh off the bench. That three kickstarted a stretch in which Pitt hit seven of its next nine field-goal attempts, eventually building up a four-point lead with just over ten minutes to play.

Fresh out of a timeout, Pitt found Hinson alone in the corner, and there, he hit yet another three pointer, building Pitt’s lead up to seven, 58-51. With 6-and-a-half minutes to play, Carrington fed Hinson on the wing. There, Pitt’s leader — who had already scored 22 points in the game — pump faked his defender into the air, stepped to the side, and drained his fifth three of the game. The Panthers led by a game-high ten points, 64-54.

After a massive rebound on the other end a few possessions later, Leggett set up Lowe for a fadeaway jumper. Then, Pitt’s Hinson cleaned up a fast-break lay-in attempt from Leggett, extending the lead all the way up to 12 points. The Panthers were knocking on the door.

After missing a three-point attempt with less than two minutes to play up 11, Leggett grabbed a crucial offensive rebound. Virginia then played the foul game, and Pitt converted from the free-throw line. The Panthers closed out the win, 74-63.

Hinson finished as Pitt’s leading scorer in the game, scoring 27 points, including 18 in the second half.

With the win, Pitt advances to 16-8 on the season and 7-6 in ACC play after starting 1-5 in league action. Pitt will now take on Louisville at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Feb. 17.