Pitt jumps back in win column with 84-61 win over Boston College

For a moment, it was easy to question if the Panthers weren’t quite the offensive team they appeared to be, as a slow start against Boston College piled onto their sluggish effort against Louisville two days earlier.

But 84 points later, it was apparent that the Pitt men’s basketball team can still score efficiently on just about anybody. Led by 22 points by Jamel Artis, Pitt defeated Boston College 84-61 at the Petersen Events Center Saturday.

On the game, Pitt shot 58 percent, nailing 10 threes and assisting on 22 of its 33 baskets. Head coach Jamie Dixon was pleased with the way his team responded from the Louisville loss.

“The passing was back, the spacing was good,” Dixon said. “The attitude, the focus and the commitment never wavered after that game.”

The Eagles were the aggressors early, rushing off to a 10-2 lead three minutes into the game. The short run was sparked by two 3-pointers, another deep jumper and a layup.

The next few minutes featured sloppy play, with poor offensive execution and loose ball handling. But Pitt would bring the game to a tie at 12 seven minutes in, thanks to a deep Artis jumper.

Two more buckets from Artis, one a twisting layup and another a three from the top of the key, forced Boston College to call a timeout as Pitt took a 17-12 lead.

Pitt would continue to extend that lead, bringing the score to 28-19 at the TV timeout with just under eight minutes in the half.

For Pitt, just relaxing and playing the way they usually play sparked the run, freshman guard Damon Wilson said.

“We settled down and started playing back how we used to play,” Wilson said. “Louisville got us shaken up a bit. I think we settled down.”

But Boston College still slowly chipped away at Pitt’s lead, with quick offensive execution on their part, and generally subpar ball movement for Pitt. With just under three minutes left in the half, BC guard Eli Carter drained a three to cut the deficit to 35-34.

A mini Pitt run at the end of the half allowed the Panthers to extend the lead to 43-36, thanks in part to two free throws from Arti and a deep jumper by Sterling Smith — also assisted by Artis. The Panthers shot 61 percent in the half, though nine turnovers stunted their point total.

At the TV timeout in the second half, Pitt brought their lead to ten, with another three and floating layup by Artis helping along the way. With a small lineup inside and out, Boston College head coach Jim Christian felt his team couldn’t compete with Pitt’s size and strength.

“There’s a lot of matchup problems for us,” Christian said. “Their guards are big and strong. We’re young at those spots, we’re weak at those spots.”

Outside of turnovers, Pitt had no trouble finding quality shots, pushing the ball when it could, while also remaining patient. Conversely, Christian felt his team got complacent offensively, which led to their lulls.

“As the game went on, I thought a lot of guys on our team, especially on the offensive side of the floor, got tentative,” Christian said.

Boston College would try to keep up, mostly implementing Carter, who was repeatedly isolated against his defender, usually leading to a deep jump shot attempt. Carter finished with 31 points off of 12 of 22 shooting. Though Dixon wasn’t pleased with how his team defended Carter, he felt a high total of points was almost inevitable, given his volume of shots and game flow.

“He made some shots. Guys are gonna score when there’s a big separation [in the score],” Dixon said.

Pitt continued to widen its lead, going up 17 with 5:37 left as Cameron Johnson completed a fast break with a dunk. Johnson had an unusually productive game off the bench, knocking down seven of 10 shots for 20 points. A strong pregame shootaround, along with good offensive spacing, led to Johnson’s performance, he said.

“We were able to spread them out. There were a lot of gaps, a lot of penetrate and kick,” Johnson said.

Pitt will return to the court on Tuesday, when the Panthers face off at 8 p.m against North Carolina State at the Petersen Events Center. After knocking off the Eagles, the team said it has regained its momentum.

“[Dixon’s] message was just bounce back,” Johnson said. “Teams lose, it happens to everybody. Only the great teams can bounce back.”