University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
(13-7, 3-4ACC)
Louisville
(16-3, 4-2ACC)
Pitt Outlasted by No. 10 Louisville, 80-68
1/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score |
Quotes |
Notes |
Photo Gallery 
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jamel Artis led the Panthers with 18 points and eight rebounds, but No. 10 Louisville pulled away from Pittsburgh 80-68 on Sunday.
Terry Rozier scored 26 points and Montrezl Harrell added 18 points and seven rebounds as the Cardinals (16-3, 4-2 ACC) bounced back from a loss to Duke. Louisville shot a season-high 65 percent (30 of 46) from the floor, riding Rozier and Jones early then clamping down late to halt a Pitt comeback.
Pitt (13-7, 3-4) struggled to keep the Cardinals in check and never led over the final 34 minutes. The Panthers cut a 16-point deficit to eight with 4:05 to play but Louisville made its free throws down the stretch.
''We usually win with defense and tonight we won with offense,'' said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said. ''Our offense was special and great shooting percentages are the result of great passing and we did a terrific job passing against a good defensive team.''
Louisville's only cold spell came early in the second half, when the Cardinals missed their first seven field goal attempts to allow the Panthers to pull within 40-35.
Harrell ended the drought with a dunk and Jones popped a 3-pointer. Chinanu Onuaku made a lay-up while getting fouled. The 6-foot-10 sophomore pounded his chest before knocking down the free throw. Rozier later added a traditional three-point play of his own to make it 57-41.
Pitt drew within 66-58 on a Jamel Artis jumper with 4:05 remaining. The Panthers forced a Louisville turnover but Cameron Wright's 3-pointer from the corner hit nothing and Pitt would get no closer.
''We got a couple of stops and capitalized but when they made their run back we really didn't respond as well as we should have,'' Pitt guard James Robinson said. ''I think that impacted the game.''
The Cardinals slogged through a tough loss to the Blue Devils on Jan. 17, a game in which they shot just 30 percent from the floor and made just 4 of 25 3-pointers. Their touch returned against the Panthers.
Louisville hit eight of its first nine shots, with Rozier doing a little bit of everything, mixing in lay-ups with mid-range jumpers and a 3. The Panthers stayed in it for awhile behind some deft shooting over Louisville's zone. Chris Jones hit a 19-footer to pull Pitt within 26-24 before the Cardinals closed the half with a 14-6 burst fueled by their fullcourt pressure.
During one sequence Jamel Artis' lay-up was blocked by Onuaku at one end, leading to a Harrell dunk at the other. Chris Jones then came up with a loose ball on the inbounds and Harrell followed with another slam. Rozier knocked down a 3 and Jones stole a pass in the backcourt and hit an acrobatic lay-up while getting fouled as the Cardinals took control for good.
James Robinson had 16 points and six assists while Michael Young added 14 points and nine boards.
The Panthers have lost consecutive games for the first time this season but head coach Jamie Dixon said he's not concerned. ''We kept playing hard, even when the shots weren't falling,'' he said. ''The attitude is good. They're not happy about losing. We've got to learn how to beat good teams.''
The Cardinals are now 4-1 at the Petersen Events Center, where Pitt has won 90 percent of its game since it opened in 2002.
The Panthers fell to 13-3 at the Pete against top-10 teams. Pitt outrebounded the Cardinals 34-28.
Up next Pitt travels to Virginia Tech on Tuesday.
