Knight the catalyst in Pitt victory

After seeing too many games slip away this season, Brandin Knight made sure that Pitt was not… After seeing too many games slip away this season, Brandin Knight made sure that Pitt was not in a giving mood Wednesday night.

Virginia Tech used a 10-2 run to whittle away at the Panthers’ 17-point lead, and with six minutes and 10 seconds left to play, Terry Taylor grabbed the rebound off Allan Calloway’s missed free throw and converted the basket to pull the Hokies within eight.

With the crowd roaring in the background, Knight remained calm and nailed an open three from the top of the key to put Pitt back up by double figures.

“The shot clock was winding down, and we moved the ball around, and I was wide open,” Knight said in a post-game radio conference. “They were collapsing down so much on our big guys.”

On Pitt’s next possession, Julius Page added a three-pointer of his own from the corner to put the Panthers up by 14. After Taylor made a jump shot, Knight sunk another three, putting Pitt up by 15.

“Brandin had a great game; he made his foul shots,” head coach Ben Howland said. “He only had one rebound, which is the only thing I could complain about.”

For the second road game in a row, Knight exploded for more than 20 points, dropping in 25 against the Hokies to lead all scorers. Only twice during this season had he reached the 20-point mark, scoring 22 at Rhode Island on Dec. 21 and going for 23 last Tuesday at Georgetown.

But in between those games, Knight struggled with his shooting.

During the 13-game stretch, Pitt’s point guard shot just 28 percent from the field and 23 percent from behind the three-point line. Knight also continued to struggle from the foul line, making 40 percent of his free throws.

Included in that stretch was a scoreless game against Syracuse on Jan. 25 in which Knight missed all six of his shots, although he did not play most of the second half of that game after getting a concussion.

While Pitt was able to win six in a row during that stretch, the Panthers dropped three straight road games and fell from the No. 2 spot in the country down to No. 9.

Facing the possibility of losing a fourth straight road game, Knight responded against Georgetown. His 23 points were the most he scored in a game since dropping 29 in a win over West Virginia on Feb. 16, 2002.

“It’s just about getting in the gym and working at it,” Knight said about his turn around. “I need to be able to make the shots when the team needs it. I expect to make them.”

The practice paid off again against Virginia Tech. Knight made seven-of-10 field goals, including six for eight from three-point land, and played the entire game.

“I felt a little winded,” he said. “But you just got to suck it up and fight through.”

As the season comes to an end, there will be little time for Knight and Pitt to rest. The Panthers return to action Sunday against No. 24 Connecticut in a rematch of last year’s Big East Championship game.