The last game of the out of conference schedule is in the books and it ended in a blowout win for Pitt by a final score 92-58. Maryland-Eastern Shore came out fighting, but the Panthers were just the better team.
Recap:
To start the game it looked as if the Pitt was ready to take control early, but the Hawks had something to say about that. At the 12:22 mark Maryland-Eastern Shore amazingly had a 16-11 lead. A possible upset looked like it could be brewing, however that theory did not last long. Michael Young made a three-point play the old fashioned way and then a Ryan Luther lay-up tied the game up. From that point on the Hawks continued to fight the Panthers every step of the way. At the under eight TV timeout Pitt only was up three. That lead did expand to seven at one point, but by half the score was Pitt leading 39-33.
In the beginning minutes of the second half the Panthers looked focused and ready. Almost immediately they increased the lead to ten. The Hawks were able to keep the deficit around ten points for a couple minutes, and then they became overwhelmed. Pitt led by the dynamic duo of Michael Young and Jamel Artis put the score at 58-41 with 12:35 left in the game. Once again Maryland-Eastern Shore made a small run to cut it down to a 14-point lead for Pitt. But then the game was truly ended by a 21-5 Panther run, which made it impossible for a comeback. Now with a commanding 30-point lead and 4 minutes left the only thing left was mop up duty. When the dust settled Pitt had a comfortable 34-point win.
Michael Young and Jamel Artis once again carried the offensive workload scoring 14 apiece. They received help from the ever-improving Sheldon Jeter who had 13 points and six rebounds. The final Pitt player to score double digits in the contest was Sterling Smith, who had 12 point with three made threes.
Offensive Grade: B
For the most part the offense did a good job, but there were still problem areas. For one the three point shooting has been ice cold lately. In this latest outing Pitt went 4-15 from deep. The other negative in this game was the free throw shooting. This was the first time on the season the Panthers really semi-struggled at the charity stripe only making 24 of their 36 attempts. The team is still 78% for the season so it is hard to be too upset. The offense did its’ part in the second half scoring 53 points and the panthers continue to pass the ball effectively.
Defensive Grade: B
The Hawks started the game hot from the field going around 50% from the field for much of the first half. However, after that slow start Pitt really put the clamps on and made them work for every shot. The perimeter defense helped them to only 4-21 from deep and that was a major plus. Pitt did commit their fair share of fouls especially while the Hawks were in the act of shooting, Maryland-Eastern Shore attempted 21 total free throws. Playing defensive without fouling will be necessary moving forward.
Coaching Grade: B
This game is a tough one to get up for with more ACC games so close ahead. Pitt at first did not looked prepared, but at half Dixon was able to get his players focused to go out and crush the second half. Dixon continues to use Sheldon Jeter alongside Young and Artis, which has been working extremely well. Jeter provides the team with a unique athleticism that opponents struggle to counter. Hopefully he continues giving the Beaver Falls product significant minutes.
Up Next:
On January 6th at 7:00 P.M. Pitt takes on ACC foe the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Peterson Events Center.