PITTSBURGH — On Tuesday night, Pitt earned its first victory of the season taking down UNC-Wilmington by a score of 59-51 at the Petersen Events Center.
Finding itself with just a five-point lead with less than two minutes remaining, Pitt needed some insurance points to bring home the victory.
After Femi Odukale missed a lay-up, sophomore John Hugley grabbed the offensive rebound, got fouled, and confidently knocked down two more free throws, giving the Panthers a seven-point lead, one which they would not let go of.
After some more defensive stops, Pitt had officially earned its first victory of the season.
Pitt saw a completely different UNCW squad come out in the beginning of the second frame after leading by 13 at the half. The Seahawks started hitting their shots, taking care of the ball, and defending, but towards the final ten minutes of the game, they cooled off.
Pitt weathered the storm and took home the victory with the help of sophomores Odukale and Hugley, who finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively. The 6-foot-9 big man Hugley took advantage of a smaller UNCW team, going for yet another double-double with his 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Guard Jamarius Burton made his highly-anticipated Pitt debut in this one, and finished with 7 points and one rebound in 25 minutes of play.
Dan Oladapo was in the starting lineup for the first time this season, and was a bright spot for the Panthers on both sides of the ball. He finished with 9 points on 3-for-5 shooting, and also grabbed five rebounds.
Freshman guard Nate Santos made his third consecutive start and played an efficient 19 minutes, contributing 6 points on 3-for-3 shooting.
UNC Wilmington struggled mightily to shoot the ball, finishing with marks of 29% from the field and 26% from three-point range. The Seahawks were led by Trazarien White as well as Mike Okauru, who combined for 26 of the team’s 51 points.
Pitt’s next game comes on Friday, Nov. 19, when it will host Towson. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.
One basket in the final 14:30….that’s some real ACC talent they have. The program is in shambles. Won’t win a game in the ACC….
A big win over a team that will finish at the bottom of the Colonial. And The Citadel, who bitch slapped Pitt lost to the Presbyterian Blue Hose last night. Absolutely worse than Stallings.
That’s the best they can do? Pitt fans, you are staring hard at 0-for-ACC
Plenty of hoops left. Many highly ranked schools have been upset already or barely got by lesser squads. This is not just a Pitt thing. H2P!