Men’s basketball: Irish overwhelm Panthers from beyond the arc as Pitt falls to Notre Dame

No Luke Harangody, no problem. Harangody missed his third straight game with a right knee… No Luke Harangody, no problem. Harangody missed his third straight game with a right knee injury, but four of his fellow Irishmen stepped up and scored in double-digits, and Notre Dame defeated Pitt last night, 68-53.

Forward Tim Abromaitis led all players with 17 points, nailing 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc. The Fighting Irish shot 75 percent on 3-pointers in the first half to open up a 35-27 lead, and they finished 10-of-18 from deep against the Big East’s best 3-point defense.

Jermaine Dixon scored a team-high 13 points for the Panthers, who drop to 10-5 in the Big East and 21-7 overall. The loss all but eliminates Pitt’s chances of winning the conference, as the team now trails Syracuse by three games with three left to play. While Notre Dame’s hot shooting helped end a three-game losing skid, Pitt struggled to generate anything offensively.

The Panthers made just 4-of-18 3-point attempts, and Dixon, Gilbert Brown and Travon Woodall went a combined 0-for-10 from downtown. The Fighting Irish pulled away in the second, expanding the lead from eight to 23 in the half’s first 11 minutes. Pitt had just 15 points in the half before a flurry of scoring in the game’s final minutes lessened the margin of defeat.

Tory Jackson and Tyrone Nash provided 14 and 13 points, respectively, for Notre Dame. Guard Ben Hansbrough, younger brother of former North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough, finished one rebound shy of a double-double for the Fighting Irish. The senior had 15 points and 9 rebounds.

Overall, Notre Dame out-rebounded Pitt, 31-21. Gary McGhee and Dante Taylor struggled to get touches down low throughout the game, as the duo finished with 9 points combined. Behind Dixon on the score sheet, Ashton Gibbs finished as the only other Panther in double-digits, knocking down 11 points.

Notre Dame climbed to a four-way tie for eighth place in the Big East. The Irish now stand at 7-8 in the conference and 18-10 overall. The team next faces Georgetown Saturday afternoon. Pitt also returns to action Saturday afternoon, when it travels to New York to face St. John’s. The Red Storm will seek revenge for its loss to the Panthers last month.