It’s awesome, baby: Pitt gets huge victory over Irish

Monday night’s rout of Notre Dame proved to be the “O Show” as senior forward Ontario Lett… Monday night’s rout of Notre Dame proved to be the “O Show” as senior forward Ontario Lett dominated the Irish with a breakout game.

Lett added his show-stopping performance to a highly anticipated matchup between Big East Conference rivals Pitt and Notre Dame.

After skidding to the fifth spot in the ESPN/USA Today rankings, the Panthers outmatched the Irish on offense and defense to roll on to a 72-55 victory.

Legendary ESPN basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale was on hand to call the conference opener in front of a packed and energetic crowd at the Petersen Events Center.

The events center namesakes, John and Gertrude Petersen, were in attendance, along with Pittsburgh Steelers Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis.

“This was a great atmosphere to be seen on national television,” Pitt head coach Ben Howland said regarding the enthusiasm of the fans.

The Panthers (11-1 overall, 1-0 Big East) were fueled by the multi-faceted play of the 6-foot-6-inch Lett, who got the nod as a starter for his recent aggressive play. He started off the scoring for the Panthers as he drove right past the Notre Dame defense and scored the opening bucket. Lett followed this drive with a block just seconds later.

“[Ontario] is a man,” Notre Dame senior guard Matt Carroll said. “There wasn’t much we could do to stop him.”

Early in the game, Howland resorted to a three-guard offense of senior Brandin Knight, junior Julius Page and freshman Carl Krauser.

With the crowd already ecstatic, Krauser immediately made an impact as he flew into media row in an attempt to save a loose ball.

Krauser continued the high tempo with strong, flashy passes in the paint to center Toree Morris and forward Chevon Troutman to pick up the assists.

With the score 6-5 in favor of Pitt, Carroll drained back to back three-pointers for Notre Dame. However, the crowd wasn’t silenced for long as senior Donatas Zavackas answered from downtown.

After Page sunk a three-pointer, the score was tied at 18 with nine minutes remaining. The Irish shut down Pitt for the next three minutes and then Lett began his onslaught of offense.

Lett scored 10 points and had one steal in two minutes, which put the Panthers ahead 28-26. He finished the first half perfectly from the line (4-for-4) and five-of-six on field goals, tallying 14 points.

“We needed a spark,” Lett said. “I wanted to come out and play good.”

After Carroll sunk a jumper for Notre Dame, the score was tied at 30 going into halftime.

The second half would prove to be the Irish’s downfall as the Panthers led by as much as 18 points. Slowly, a tight game turned into a Pitt scoring and rebounding spree.

“Defending and rebounding wins big games,” Howland said.

Fans began showing frustrations with the referees as Pitt began racking up fouls just before the 13-minute mark.

Knight came out strong the second half, opening the scoring and making the layup that put Pitt ahead of Notre Dame for good. His aggression and desire showed as he picked up a technical foul after a scuffle with Chris Quinn.

After a quiet opening to the second half, Pitt went on a scoring streak at 16:16, leaving Notre Dame silenced for almost eight minutes.

Notre Dame (12-2,0-1) was dominated by the Panthers on the boards in the second half 30-17. Pitt also held the advantage for points in the paint 32-6. The Irish failed from the field, shooting only 31 percent.

“We were frazzled,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. “Pittsburgh sets the standards in the conference. We are going to be chasing them.”

The Panthers were lucky that the Irish didn’t capitalize on their continued free-throw woes, as they shots only 7-of-21 from the line in the second half.

Troutman had two slam-dunks in the end of the second half and recorded his first career double double with 12 points and 12 boards.

“We have been running the court a lot better this season,” Troutman said. “We go out everyday to play to win.”

Carroll, scoring seven points in the remaining three minutes, was Notre Dame’s final hope of mounting a comeback. He finished with a game-high 31 points.

“I am so proud of Matt,” Brey said about Carroll’s performance. “He’s our man.”

Four Pitt players scored in double figures. Lett tallied a career-high 20 points, while Page, Knight and Troutman chipped in 12 apiece.

“It takes the pressure off of [the backcourt] when the big guys score,” Knight said.

Pitt finished with 19 assists on the evening. These assists are a key to the Panthers’ success and strong teamwork.

“I have to say a lot about the unselfishness of this team,” Howland said. “This unselfish attitude can carry us a long way.”

Pitt continues its home winning streak with 15 games and looks to further dominate the Big East as it travels to Rutgers on Sunday.

“This league is so good,” Howland said. “It is going to be a dogfight for the remainder of the season.”

As Troutman flexed his muscles for the media, Howland said with assurance, “We’ll be ready.”