The Providence Friars shocked the Panthers, coming out flying and taking an 18-6 lead. Then, Pitt was able to settle in and take a 10-point lead at half. It ended up a back-and-forth battle, and deep into the second half, Providence cut down the lead to two. Pitt was able to regroup and pull away, winning 81-74.
Introducing Damarco “Polo” Minor
Senior point guard Damarco “Polo” Minor led the Panthers’ offense today with 15 points and showed true leadership on the court when they went down. He was six for seven on free throws and cashed in on a wide-open three-pointer to extend Pitt’s lead before half. Minor was 50% from the field today, but was Pitt’s ball handler and had a highlight alley-oop to senior guard Barry Dunning Jr.
“Well, he’s a leader. He is one of the leaders of the team. There’s no doubt,” head coach Jeff Capel said after the game.
Capel was blunt. There is a clear leader in the locker room. Every break, Minor was communicating and working with his team.
Minor responded to some comments about his leadership after the game.
“Life ain’t gonna be peaches and cream,” Minor said. “You’re gonna hit a bump … So come on, let’s buckle our seat belts. Let’s get this lead back. Tie this ball game up. Let’s win this game.”
His hard work and dedication to leading the team is clear.
Capel switches lineup early on
Capel adjusted early by bringing in a trio of substitutions to fix the rocky start. Pitt just couldn’t break the man-to-man press, and turnovers weren’t helping.
Capel brought in first-year guard Omari Witherspoon, sophomore guard Nojus Indrušaitis and redshirt sophomore forward Papa Amadou Kante. Turnovers led the Panthers into the hole, but the response got the Panthers out of it. They slowed down play on offense, which led to fewer turnovers and points for Providence. More importantly, before the half, they began to guard the fastbreak and limit second chance points for the Friars. The Panthers would go on a scoring run to enter halftime up 41-31.
After the game, Capel spoke to the media about the team’s fluid lineup and how it still isn’t set.
“I don’t know who I’m starting yet,” Capel said. “I mean, they found out I made a decision this morning at five, and I told them, we’ll probably start a different lineup for the second half.”
Cashing in on free throws
The Panthers needed to make sure they hit on their free throws to regain control of this game. They weren’t hitting threes, and most of their three-point plays came from foul situations.
Providence played a strong man defense, and without a clear three-point shooter on the Panthers, it came down to plays in the paint. The Panthers went 24 for 33 on free throws with a 72.7 free-throw percentage. They still missed some gimmes, but for the first collegiate game for a lot of these guys, they’ll take what they can get.
Providence Basketball
Providence received 10 new players during this past off-season. Battling hard with a much larger opponent should give them some swagger going into Big East play. Providence senior guard Jason Edwards had 19 points with two three-pointers on six attempts. Behind him was senior forward Duncan Powell with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Powell was 50% from three, showing some real offensive power for the Friars. The Friars open their season at home against Holy Cross on Nov. 3.
What’s next for the Panthers
The Panthers play next on Monday, Nov. 3, against Youngstown State. The Penguins were 21-13 on the season and 13-7 in Horizon conference play. The Panthers will want to start the season strong with a win in the Zoo.