Pitt uses outside game to counter WVU zone

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With 6:10 left on the clock in the first half, the Pitt men’s basketball… MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With 6:10 left on the clock in the first half, the Pitt men’s basketball team trailed the West Virginia Mountaineers 28-26, but that was before a momentum-shifting run.

Pitt is shooting 33 percent from three-point range on the season, but it was able to hit timely three-pointers to go on a 10-0 run at the end of the first half in its 67-58 victory over West Virginia on Saturday night. The Panthers shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the game, nailing six of 12 three-pointers.

“I think we have a better three-point-shooting team than our numbers indicate,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said.

The No. 4 Panthers used a 12-2 run to close the first half and take a 38-30 lead. West Virginia employs a 1-3-1 defense, which allows it to double-team the ball handler, but Pitt was able to make some adjustments.

“We changed our attack on the 1-3-1 defense, [which gave] us a few more open looks,” Dixon said.

With Pitt down by two points, Pitt senior guard Julius Page, along with redshirt sophomore guard Carl Krauser, went to work. Page and Krauser combined for the Panthers’ final 12 points of the first half.

“I was just thinking that we needed a bucket,” Krauser said, “so I just wanted to make a play. You never want to play behind, especially on the road, because it can get really loud in there, as you heard today.”

Pitt forward Jaron Brown started the run by dishing the ball off to Page, who knocked down a three-pointer to give the Panthers a 29-28 lead. It was a lead that Pitt would never give back.

Neither team would score again for nearly three minutes. Finally, Krauser nailed the next field goal in the game with a basket from beyond the arc off of a Page assist.

“They run at you when you’re shooting threes,” Page said. “I was in the air and saw Carl [Krauser] out of the corner of my eye, and I just kicked it out to him, and he made the shot. I think that’s what really turned the game for us. After that, the momentum shifted.”

Krauser returned the favor on Pitt’s next basket, finding Page for another three pointer. With the score 35-28, Krauser went to the charity stripe and knocked down one of two foul shots.

The Panthers went on a 10-0 run that covered a stretch of 5:25. West Virginia finally got back on the scoreboard with two converted foul shots from guard Johannes Herber with 44 seconds left in the half. Page closed the half by hitting a jumper to make the score 38-30.

“[Page] is a big-time player,” Krauser said. “[Page] is one of the best shooting guards in the nation [and] is a great senior leader. He found his shot, then, the next play coming down, he found me, and I hit a shot. Then we just started rolling after that.”

Pitt’s outside shooting appeared to open up its inside game. Forward Chevon Troutman converted several baskets in the paint. Troutman and Page led the Panthers with 15 points each, while Krauser had 13 points.

“[Pitt] made some tough shots, and we missed shots,” West Virginia head coach John Beilein said. ” What makes Pitt so good is that that they pass the ball [and] they are very selective with [their shots], but they take the right shots.