Pitt moves into a tie for fourth place

Tuesday, 22 January 2013 22:46

Written by Ray Fittipaldo

Don’t look now, but the Pitt Panthers are in fourth place following their 68-64 road victory against Providence tonight. And with a home game against last-place DePaul Saturday they can move past idle Cincinnati and take sole possession by the end of the week.

One week ago, Pitt was 1-3 and at a crossroads. But the Panthers got that big 15-point road win at Villanova last Wednesday and then gutted out a 69-61 home win over Connecticut Saturday.

Getting to 5-3 is important for the Panthers because next week features games against two top-five teams in Louisville and Syracuse.

“We just want to keep playing,” senior guard Tray Woodall said. “We knew it would come sooner or later.”

Some other highlights from the game vs. Providence:

*Lamar Patterson played lights out again. He had 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting and also pulled down 7 rebounds.

*James Robinson struggled throughout the game, but he made two huge free throws with nine seconds left after Providence cut the lead to two.

*Woodall has made a habit of making big shots against Providence. He did it two years ago with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds and he did it again tonight with a short jumper for a five-point cushion with 18 seconds left.

Lowlights:

*Steve Adams was a non-factor after scoring five early points. He picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and did not play again until the second half.

*Talib Zanna’s shooting struggles continued. He was 3 for 9 from the field and is now 7 for 25 in the past four games.