Pitt overcomes Hanlan’s 39 points for 71-65 win

Olivier Hanlan did the best he could to single-handedly beat Pitt.

Boston College’s star junior guard and his 39 points, however, were not enough as Pitt (19-10, 8-7 ACC) defeated the Eagles (9-18, 1-14 ACC) 71-65 on Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center.

Hanlan, who averaged 18.7 points per game entering the contest, hit several open jumpers in the first half as part of a 15-0 Boston College run. After a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Chris Jones with four minutes remaining in the half gave the Panthers a 33-18 lead, both teams traded baskets. But then the Eagles proceeded to use an extended 15-0 run crossing into the second half to bring Pitt’s once-double-digit lead to a 35-35 tie.

Sophomore forward Jamel Artis led Pitt with 24 points, and sophomore forward Michael Young followed him closely with 22 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The Panthers steadily regained the lead, and nursed a lead of between three and seven points for the majority of the second half.

While the Eagles’ reliance on the 3-point shot brought them back into the game earlier, the shots eventually stopped falling. Boston College finished shooting 36 percent from long range.

Down seven with three minutes remaining in the game, Boston College tried to use full-court press to force Pitt turnovers. But junior point guard James Robinson passed the ball up to Artis for a quick fast-break dunk to extend Pitt’s lead to 65-56.

Pitt’s next game comes on the road at Wake Forest on Saturday.