Johnson sparks Pitt’s first home ACC win off the bench

“This man.”

The phrase immediately spilled out of Lamar Patterson’s mouth, spoken slyly but confidently. The two words were also interrupted by an inquisitive voice to Patterson’s side, calmly asking reporters, “Can you repeat the question?”

The reporter again asked what sparked Pitt’s 11-2 run Monday night in a 79-59 win against Maryland.

“This man,” Patterson said again, bulldozing his way into the conversation with the obvious answer. Except this time, he gave an identity. “Durand Johnson.”

Johnson was the spark plug against the visiting Terrapins, coming off the bench to post a career-high 17 points, shoot 6-of-8 from the field, sink 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and electrify the crowd on hand that witnessed Pitt’s first ACC contest — and victory — at the Petersen Events Center.

“Coming off the bench, I just try to play hard, bring my energy” he said. “The guys, they kind of look at me to bring the energy, to be the energy man. I just try to come into the game and do a good job, picking up the defensive end, making my teammates better — whatever I gotta do to be the guy that just brings the team up.”

In that case, Johnson gave the Panthers the answer they needed, too.

With Pitt trailing 26-23 with 6:14 remaining in the first half, Johnson uncoiled a jumper from the big hands on his long arms, which were covered just below the shoulder by a tight white undershirt worn under the Panthers’ all-gold uniforms that made the 6-6 forward stand out as soon as he walked on the court.

Johnson sank the shot, fading away from the basket in the process and cutting Maryland’s lead to 26-25. Nearly four minutes later, Pitt had grabbed a lead.

Johnson pushed the Panthers ahead even further with 2:21 left in the first half. He received a pass at the right elbow and held the ball, peering back toward Dixon, who held a clenched fist in the air. Turning around and quickly breaking to his right with a crossover, Johnson found himself at the top of the key with the ball cocked high above his head for a 3-pointer.

Pitt led, 34-28, but Johnson had one more trick for the half tucked behind his white spandex sleeves.

With less than a minute to play, Johnson stood with the ball near the left corner of the court before charging toward the hoop, penetrating the paint. As he went up for a layup, he was met at the rim by one of the Terrapins’ thick-bodied big men.

Johnson adjusted in mid-air, twisting and bending his spidery arms to push the ball off the glass and into the basket for the final points of the half.

He finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 12 first-half minutes and extended the streak into the second half, chipping in five points, an assist, a block and a rebound in the opening six minutes of the frame.

This season, however, Johnson hasn’t always been the spark plug he was against Maryland. He entered the contest shooting just 38 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from 3-point range. 

“As a shooter, it’s just [about having] confidence,” Johnson said. “You always gotta know the next shot is going in even if you miss. I just tried to stay confident, my teammates found me and I was able to make shots tonight.”

Johnson made it clear he had that bravado just two minutes after checking into the action, splashing in an open 3-point attempt after grabbing point guard Josh Newkirk’s attention.

“Hey, Josh!” Johnson yelled, somehow becoming audible through a constantly buzzing crowd. Newkirk found him from across the court and Johnson was on the board and on his way to a career performance.

“Teams can’t really just play one person or two people, they gotta be ready for everyone” said Patterson, who scored a team-high 19 points but consistently deflected the attention to bench contributors such as Johnson and Newkirk.

And on a night when Johnson chipped in three assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block, he proved Patterson right.

“He can help us in other ways even if he doesn’t score,” Dixon said. “His energy, how hard he plays is what allows him to get better.”