Pitt’s bench comes through again in win over Syracuse

Saturday, 02 February 2013 16:58

Written by Ray Fittipaldo

There were a few eye-opening statistics from Pitt’s65-55 win over Syracuse Saturday afternoon.

*Pitt clobbered the Orange on the boards, winning the rebounding battle, 39-24.

*The Panthers held Syracuse, the top scoring team in the Big East, to 55 points, which tied a season-low for the Orange.

*And the Panthers shot 48 percent against one of the top defensive teams in the league even though they only made 3 of 15 attempts from 3-point range.

All were reasons the Panthers continued their mastery over the Orange.

But here’s another reason: the bench.

Pitt’s bench outscored Syracuse’s bench, 31-3, and many of those points came in clutch situations.

With the score tied midway through the second half, Cameron Wright drilled a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired for a lead the Panthers would not relinquish.

A few minutes later, Durand Johnson made a 3-pointer for a 48-39 lead with 5:57 remaining.

And then it was Wright’s turn again. Freshman center Steven Adams was fouled with 4:06 left, but he could not shoot the free throws because he was hit in the eye.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim chose Wright, a 48 percent free throw shooter who had missed all four of his attempts from the line in conference play, to shoot the foul shots. Wright made both for a 52-45 lead.

They were pressure shots, too, because Triche had just made four free throws to cut into the lead.

Those were the biggest plays, but other bench players also played well.

Trey Zeigler had 6 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes.

J.J. Moore had eight points and Dante Taylor had six.

“The guys really like each other,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “They like to see the other guys come in and make plays, and they have confidence in each other. Playing 10 guys is not normal. We have been eight or nine-deep in the past.”

Woodall said the reserves have been a big part of Pitt’s recent surge

“We always talk about the strength of our team being in numbers,” Woodall said. “We have great depth and a lot of these guys – Cam, Trey and Dante – they’re ready when their number is called. Today, everyone stepped up.”