There was no shortage of excitement and hype Saturday night as the Panthers, ranked No. 25 in… There was no shortage of excitement and hype Saturday night as the Panthers, ranked No. 25 in the nation, rode a 10-game winning streak into Fitzgerald Field House to face off against Notre Dame. But the Panthers did not live up to expectations as they fell to the Fighting Irish, 56-53, before a sold-out crowd of 6,798.

The opening minutes of the bout were a sign of things to come. The Fighting Irish defense came out looking sharp and did not allow Pitt very many good looks. The Panthers were held to only five points in the first 13-plus minutes of play, and trailed by as many as 10.

They shot a dismal 20.7 percent in the first half and were one-of-11 from three-point range. Though they were outrebounded on both sides of the ball, the Panthers held Notre Dame to 21 first half points and went into halftime behind by seven.