Pitt Falls in Late Stages Again to Georgia Tech

PITTSBURGH — If Pitt was going to make some noise down the stretch in preparation of the ACC Tournament, it started with a matchup against a Georgia Tech team that sat dead even with the Panthers at 7-9 in conference play.

In a second half dominated by the whistle, Pitt had an opportunity to take the lead with 30 seconds to go, but the Panthers could not convert, ultimately falling to Georgia Tech 73-67 at the Petersen Events Center Tuesday night.

Final from the Pete. #H2P pic.twitter.com/t70BS4WT6t

— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) February 26, 2025

For the second-consecutive game, the late stages were determined by free throws. Pitt went 15-of-19 (78.9%) in the second half from the stripe as Georgia Tech converted on 21-of-23 (91.3%), but after all the attempts from the line, the deciding factor came down to Pitt’s failure to score in the final moments.

Duncan Powell put together a career night for Georgia Tech (14-14, 8-9 ACC), pouring in 26 points on 8-of-15 from the floor and 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Lance Terry added 20 points, along with two triples, while Naithan George scored 16.. Baye Ndongo registered a double-double with 11 points and 17 rebounds as the Yellow Jackets out-rebounded Pitt 37-27.

Jaland Lowe led Pitt (16-12, 7-10 ACC) with 25 points on 7-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Ishmael Leggett had 20, while Cameron Corhen scored 12 before fouling out midway through the second half.

It was yet again another uninspired start for Pitt as Georgia Tech had its way early in the paint from collecting rebounds to forcing the issue on offense.

The Yellow Jackets offensive presence was felt with Terry attacking the hoop down the lane, along with Ndongo for a quick pair of buckets.

Eight minutes into the game, Georgia Tech held a rebounding advantage of 11-2 over the Panthers with Ndongo playing a large part in that success with nine first-half rebounds. The Yellow Jackets benefited from the extra effort with 11 second chance points.

Georgia Tech reached its largest lead at 20-8 with a moving three from Terry as he scored 14 points in the first half.

Pitt’s cold start from the floor, hitting 3-of-10 with no threes on five attempts, finally warmed up as Leggett buried a corner three that was soon followed by a Guillermo Diaz Graham triple.

Then, it was back to a scoreless stretch for the Panthers for over three minutes as Powell, a 34.4 percent 3-point shooter on the year, hit his second of the half.

A late push from Pitt at the end of the half brought the score within three as Lowe finished on two impressive drives with a mid-air adjustment on one and a finish high off the window to make it 30-27 Georgia Tech.

Zack Austin connected on a late three that took Pitt into the half time trailing by five, 35-30.

While Georgia Tech commenced the second half on a pair of scoreless spells, Pitt still found itself fighting from behind.

Corhen found his rhythm offensively as he went to work in the paint, hitting on hook shoots and backing down defenders.

Despite Corhen’s efforts on the offensive side of the floor, Powell was the trigger man for Georgia Tech as it was déjà vu from the corner. Twice, Powell was fouled in the corner and still managed to drain the triple. He converted on both free throws with his second giving the Yellow Jackets a 52-43 lead.

The game would then turn into a defensive battle. For Pitt, specifically, it relied on its shooting from the charity stripe, an area in which Pitt ranks 14th in the country, but faltered against Notre Dame on Saturday, hitting 11-of-18.

Lowe was calm at the line, knocking down seven free throws, before hitting a critical 3-pointer — his first of the game after five misses — with 6:33 to cut the Georgia Tech lead to 56-54.

Pitt would then take its first lead since the first minute of the game thanks to a Brandin Cummings three that put life back into the Pete.

As offense from the floor came at a premium in the final six minutes of the game, Georgia tech engineered a 9-2 run, strictly on free throws. During that span, the Yellow Jackets went 9:26 without a field goal.

Lowe put an end to Pitt’s own drought from the floor with a driving layup before stepping into a three that tied the game at 67-67 with a minute to go. Georgia Tech would then finally end its long streak from the floor with a layup by Terry.

The Panthers had the opportunity right in front of them to take the lead with a minute to go. An Austin three fell short, but the rebound was collected by Lowe, who dished it to Leggett as he would miss on a wide open layup. That was sum up Pitt’s late shooting performance in the loss.

Pitt heads to Louisville on Saturday for a key matchup against the Cardinals at the KFC Yum Center. Tip is set for 6 p.m.