Rutgers upsets Pitt 77-64

Welcome to Upset City, USA, a place rarely visited by Pitt basketball when it hosts Big East… Welcome to Upset City, USA, a place rarely visited by Pitt basketball when it hosts Big East games at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt (16-4, 4-3 Big East) shot 29 percent in the second half, yielding just 25 points after the break, and lost to perennial Big East cellar dweller Rutgers, 77-64, on Saturday. On a day when Pitt celebrated the 100th game at the school’s prized arena, the Petersen Events Center, the Panthers lost for just the ninth time in those 100 contests.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said Rutgers’ outrebounding his Panthers by 16 in the second half did Pitt in.

“We got exactly what we deserved,” Dixon said. “Getting outrebounded by 16 is just unheard of.”

The Panthers’ stagnant offense fueled Rutgers’ second-half runs of 11-0 and 12-2, and the Scarlet Knights hit nine of their 14 3-pointers to stun the No. 13 Panthers. Rutgers outscored Pitt, 45-25, in the second half. The Scarlet Knights had 11 second-chance points and 12 points off turnovers after the halftime break.

But Pitt guard Keith Benjamin said Rutgers hit shots that normally wouldn’t go in.

“They hit some pretty tough shots [Saturday],” Benjamin said. “We knew everything they were going to do. We knew their tendencies. They just played harder than us.”

Five Rutgers players scored in double figures, but it was the Scarlet Knights’ defense that silenced the Petersen Events Center crowd. Rutgers held Pitt scoreless over a four-minute span midway through the second half to make its 11-0 run. A Sam Young layup tied the game, 49-49.

From that point, Pitt scored two points on a pair of foul shots over the next 6:30. Rutgers used that time to outscore Pitt, 14-2. By the time Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin made back-to-back layups, the Panthers trailed, 63-55, with 2:35 remaining in the game.

It was too late to make a comeback.

Rutgers made 6 of 9 free throws and scored on each of its final nine possessions to eliminate any hope of a Pitt rally.

“They played patient when they got up,” Dixon said. “They played with a real purpose, understanding what they needed to do.