Pitt defeats Virginia Tech and BC to reach final

NEW YORK — For the third consecutive year, the Pitt men’s basketball team had to wait to find… NEW YORK — For the third consecutive year, the Pitt men’s basketball team had to wait to find out who its first opponent would be in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

The Panthers received a first-round bye after capturing the regular-season Big East title with a 13-3 — the third straight year the team finished the regular season with 13 conference wins.

In the quarterfinals, Pitt faced a Virginia Tech team making its first — and only — appearance in the Big East Tournament. After dispatching the Hokies, Pitt knocked off Boston College in the semifinals to become only the second team to advance to four straight Big East finals.

Pitt 74, Virginia Tech 61

Jaron Brown led all scorers with 20 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists to help the Panthers defeat Virginia Tech last Thursday.

Carl Krauser added 16 points, including seven-of-eight shooting from the free-throw line, while Chevon Troutman chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds.

Pitt extended its winning streak against the Hokies to four, including a 78-59 Pitt win at the Petersen Events Center earlier this season.

Playing in their final game as a member of the Big East, the Hokies were able to hang with the Panthers, despite trailing by 10 points at halftime and by 15 with 8:31 remaining in the game.

Virginia Tech went on a 17-8 run, mostly without Bryant Matthews, their leading scorer. The Big East’s leading scorer during the regular season, Matthews had a team-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.

“We knew they would probably be a little bit more patient,” Brown said about how the Hokies would react to Matthews leaving the game. “We knew he’d be more aggressive; he’s one of the more aggressive players.”

The Hokies cut Pitt’s lead to six with 2:26 to go following a jumper by Zabian Dowdell, who had 13 points.

But the Panthers were able to pull away in the last 90 seconds, hitting seven of their final 10 free throws.

Virginia Tech picked up its first and only Big East Tournament win the previous afternoon by defeating Rutgers, 61-58, in the opening round. The Hokies will become a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2004-2005 season.

“People have treated us well,” Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg said of the Big East. “I think there will be life after Virginia Tech for the Big East. I don’t think it’s going to collapse.”

p>Pitt 62, Boston College 53

The Panthers finished up their ACC farewell tour with their third consecutive victory over the Eagles in the Big East Tournament.

Krauser led Pitt with 18 points and five assists, while Brown had 11 points and nine rebounds and Chris Taft added 10 points and eight rebounds. Eagle Craig Smith led all scorers with 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

Pitt struggled through one of its worst shooting halves of the season, connecting on less than 30 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half, and Boston College went into the locker room with a 26-22 lead.

After the break, Krauser helped the Panthers get back into the game, opening the half with a steal that led to a basket by Troutman. A few plays later, Krauser hit a jump shot to give Pitt a 31-30 lead.

The Panthers would go up by as many as six points with 6:39 remaining, but could not get the Eagles to go away. Boston College cut the lead to two following a layup by Steve Hailey with 2:39 remaining.

But again, Pitt was able to make its foul shots down the stretch. The Panthers converted six of eight free throws to clinch the victory.

“I think our guys really stepped it up in the second half,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “I thought our patience in the second half was a big key in getting better shots.”