PITTSBURGH — It was an enjoyable night for the Cummings family on Wednesday.
Former Pitt guard Nelly Cummings made his television debut on Wednesday night as a color commentator, announcing the Pitt-Eastern Kentucky matchup. Then, when his younger brother Brandin checked into the game quickly after Jaland Lowe got into foul trouble, the freshman stole the show.
The young Cummings scored Pitt’s first 12 points of the game, single-handedly out-scoring the entire Eastern Kentucky squad in the first nine minutes of the game. Cummings knocked down three three pointers early on three attempts. He created off the dribble, put up threes without hesitation off the catch, and facilitated Pitt’s offense as the point guard. While the team was scraping for buckets early, Cummings was the bright spot.
After 16 first-half points, Cummings continued his red-hot night in the second half, too. With Pitt leading by eight points with over 12 minutes to play, Cummings hit back-to-back three pointers, quickly increasing the Pitt advantage up to 14 points. Once again, Cummings drained another three.
After subbing out with less than five minutes to go, it appeared Cummings’ night was done.
However, Jeff Capel subbed him back in, when he had 26 points. Cummings quickly got to the basket twice, scoring 30 points and setting a career high by far. He finished with those 30 points on 10-for-13 shooting.
Cummings finished with the most points off the bench by a freshman in Pitt history, passing Brandin Knight.
