Pitt heats up, cook Friars

On a day riddled with upsets throughout the ranks of college basketball, it only seemed… On a day riddled with upsets throughout the ranks of college basketball, it only seemed fitting that Pitt would struggle with the visiting Providence Friars Saturday at the Petersen Events Center.

With Pitt senior center Aaron Gray on the bench in foul trouble for 11 minutes in the first half, Providence center Herbert Hill scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds to propel the Friars to a 34-33 halftime lead.

But a resurgent Pitt stormed back into the lead midway through the second half, using a 15-3 run in a span of five minutes to stave off the pesky Friars and win, 74-68.

“This game went exactly how we thought it would,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “It was a tough game. But it was a very good win against a very good team.”

Pitt (22-3, 10-1 Big East) forced 16 turnovers and had 18 bench points to overcome deficits as big as six points early in the second period. With the victory, the Panthers won their 10th Big East game for the sixth-consecutive season and extended their lead in the conference standings to one and a half games ahead of Georgetown.

Gray led the charge, tallying 22 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes. According to Gray, the frustration over his first-half foul trouble spurred a strong second-period performance.

“I was working hard to get position in the paint,” Gray said. “The guys did a good job getting me the ball in good spots.”

The game hung in the balance into the final minute, as Gray’s missed free throw with 23 seconds remaining kept Pitt’s lead at four and left the door open for Providence.

But Providence guard Sharaud Curry missed a critical foul shot moments later, keeping the Panthers’ lead to two possessions.

“We battled Pitt really hard,” Providence head coach Tim Welsh said. “But when you play a team like that on the road, you can’t have any lapses.”

Providence (15-8, 5-5) suffered a five-minute scoring drought, allowing the Panthers to make their move. And, when given a pair of opportunities in the final minute, the free-throw shooting hampered the Friars’ comeback.

Providence shot seven-of-16 from the free-throw line including five-for-10 in the final four minutes.

“You have to play a good game in this situation,” Welsh said. “Part of playing a good game is hitting your free throws, but we didn’t do that.”

Pitt guard Antonio Graves splashed the stat sheet in several areas, totaling 13 points, three assists, three rebounds and three steals. The senior hit a 3-pointer with 1:37 left in the game to put the Panthers up 69-61, but it was Graves’ three-point play with 3:44 remaining that ultimately made the difference.

After Pitt missed a jump shot, Curry and Geoff McDermott seemed to secure the rebound for Providence, but a miscommunication resulted in a loose ball. Graves came up with the rolling rock and finished a drive to the basket with a five-foot floater over Hill. Hill’s body bumped Graves in the air, and the 6-2 guard converted the foul shot.

“At the end of the game, Pitt had a lot of loose balls and big plays go their way,” Welsh said.

Graves’ backcourt partner Mike Cook tallied 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The 6-4 wing had struggled in his previous pair of starts, hitting one of his 14 shot attempts and scoring a total of three points.

But Cook’s 3-pointer two minutes into the contest was his first since Jan. 24, and the junior transfer finished four-for-eight in 23 minutes.

“I know that for us to go far into the NCAA tournament that I have to make shots,” Cook said. “I was really down on myself, but I’m just trying to shoot myself out of the slump.”

The 6-10 fifth-year senior Hill scored 20 points for the Friars on nine-of-17 shooting. According to Dixon, Hill’s performance triggered more thoughts about his team’s defense.

“Hill has improved every facet of his game and is an NBA player,” Dixon said. “But I think we could’ve done a better job defensively against him and as a team.”

Curry – Providence’s leading scorer – also tallied 20 points, playing the entire game. The 5-10 guard hit three of his five 3-pointers and grabbed five rebounds, but Welsh was not pleased with the rest of his team’s effort in helping Curry and Hill.

“If we can get some other guys to help, Hill and Curry can pick up their games even more,” Welsh said.

After the game, Dixon noted Gray’s status after the center had appeared to injure his back on a play in the second half.

With 2:37 remaining, Graves stole an inbounds pass and passed the ball ahead to a streaking Gray. Gray’s ensuing layup attempt was jolted by Providence reserve center Ray Hall. The officials deemed it an intentional foul, as Gray fell into the base of the hoop and immediately looked uncomfortable.

According to Dixon, team trainers were looking at Gray after the contest.

“He was back [in the locker room] getting his back checked,” Dixon said. “I don’t know his status as of right now.”

Gray has one day to recover before Pitt hosts Louisville Monday at the Petersen Events Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.