University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Men's Basketball Tops Miami, 62-51
1/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Men's Basketball Tops Miami, 62-51
1/3/2001
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Brandin Knight scored 21 points to lead Pittsburgh to a 62-51 victory against Miami in the Big East Conference opener for both teams Wednesday night.
Knight drilled four 3-pointers, including his first three shots, while the Panthers (9-3) were 8-for-18 from long range. They secured the win with solid free-throw shooting and made 14 of 19 from the line overall.
The Hurricanes (8-4) fell behind early, eventually trailing by as much as 12 points, 19-7, as Pittsburgh hit 5-for-5 from 3-point range. But they got within one, 24-23, on four 3-point shots and were as close as three points, 50-47, on two free throws by Darius Rice with 4:42 remaining. But Miami never led and couldn't get any closer down the stretch.
Knight scored 14 of his points in the first half, as Pittsburgh led 31-26 at halftime. The Panthers were 5-for-10 from 3-point range, including three from Knight and one each from Julius Page and Zelimir Stevanovic.
Miami got two 3-point shots from Rice, who led the Hurricanes with 13 points, and one each from Joe Gordon and Marcus Barnes to keep the score close. But Rice scored just two points in the second half.
Pittsburgh made 10 of its first 12 free throws, its best performance from the line all season.
