Panthers tame Wildcats, win 65-59

Seventh-ranked Pitt entered yesterday night’s game as a two-point underdog against unranked… Seventh-ranked Pitt entered yesterday night’s game as a two-point underdog against unranked Villanova. It seemed like no matter what the Wildcats did, however, Antonio Graves had an answer as the Panthers set a school record by reaching 20 wins for the sixth consecutive season.

Whether he was hitting a clutch shot or finding his teammates for wide-open 3-pointers, Graves did a little bit of everything yesterday. The senior guard finished with 13 points, but his contributions went beyond the stat sheet.

Mike Nardi opened the game’s scoring with a jumper on Villanova’s first possession.

Pitt (20-3, 8-1 in the Big East) failed to score in the opening three minutes of the game. The Panthers finally got on the board with an Aaron Gray layup.

The 7-foot senior center Gray added another layup and, following a 3-pointer from Levance Fields, the Panthers seemed to be pulling away with an 8-4 lead.

The Wildcats (14-7, 3-5) battled back, however, taking a 28-23 lead into halftime. Villanova’s Curtis Sumpter wreaked havoc on the Panthers’ defense, torching Pitt for 14 first-half points.

“It was great to make some adjustments,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon told the Associated Press. “We were playing stationary [in the first half].”

The Wildcats extended their lead following the break as Dante Cunningham hit a mid-range jumper on Villanova’s first possession to increase the lead to 30-23. The teams continued to trade baskets, but six consecutive points for Fields pulled the Panthers within two points, 37-35.

That’s when Graves stepped in.

With 12:21 left in the game, Graves drove along the baseline and found a wide-open Keith Benjamin, who nailed a 3-point attempt to give the Panthers their first lead since the 7:06 mark in the first half.

On the next possession, Nardi answered for the Wildcats with a 3-pointer of his own to make the score 43-39.

Following a Gray layup, Villanova scored on its next two possessions to even the score at 45.

As he did all night, Graves responded, this time with a kiss off the glass that silenced the raucous student section.

“We’re not a team of just Aaron Gray,” Gray told the Associated Press. “[The backcourt] should get a lot of attention. I would never underestimate them.”

On the ensuing Wildcat possession, Sumpter was fouled by Levon Kendall. Sumpter converted both free throws to gridlock the game at 47.

This time, it was Fields’ turn to shine.

Fields gathered in a defensive rebound on the next Villanova possession and ran the entire floor to finish with an easy layup at the other end.

Then Fields beat his defender down the court and finished with another easy layup on an assist by Graves to build the Pitt lead to 51-47.

“We got it going with our fast break,” Fields told the Associated Press. “It was a tribute to our defense. That’s what made it happen.”

Following two more Sumpter free throws, Graves returned to form by hitting a runner in the lane and putting the Panthers back up by four, 53-49.

Graves then hustled back on defense and knocked the ball away from Nardi. Gray came up with the loose ball and tossed it ahead to a streaking Fields, who was fouled attempting a layup. Fields connected on one of his two free-throw attempts to extend the Pitt lead to 54-49.

One minute later, Nardi pulled his team back within one as he beat the shot clock with a runner along the baseline to make the score 54-53.

Graves once again responded, this time with a 3-pointer with 1:48 remaining. Following two more Sumpter free throws, Fields responded with a 3 of his own, forcing a Villanova timeout.

Villanova connected on a free throw and a late 3-pointer, but its efforts were too little and too late.

“We got better movement and more penetration in the second half,” Dixon told the Associated Press. Fields led all scorers with 20 points, and Gray added 14 for the Panthers. The victory gave Pitt a one-game lead in the Big East.

Pitt travels to West Virginia Feb. 7. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.