Pitt
7-2,1-0ACC
Rutgers
6-2,0-0Big Ten
Johnson Scores Game-High 20 Points to Lead Pitt Over Rutgers, 71-60
12/3/2019 11:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH -- Xavier Johnson scored a season-high 20 points and backcourt mates Trey McGowens and Ryan Murphy added 16 and 15 points, respectively, to lead Pitt to a 71-60 over Rutgers in the 2019 ACC / Big Ten Challenge Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center.
Johnson finished 8-of-14 from the field and hit 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. He also recorded a game-high eight assists to go along with three rebounds and two steals. Pitt's backcourt trio combined for 51 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists and six steals as the Panthers won their fifth consecutive contest.
Pitt (7-2) went into the break leading by eight, but the Knights closed the gap early in the second half as the Panthers' shooting touch went cold. The teams played about 10 minutes of tight basketball before Trey McGowens sparked a 13-0 Pitt run. McGowens had six of Pitt's 13 points on that run and finished with 16 points overall.
Particularly effective after turnovers, Pitt scored 28 of its points off 20 Rutgers giveaways. The Knights scored just 11 points from turnovers.
Rutgers (6-2) once again closed the gap in the final two minutes but couldn't get any closer than seven points.
Myles Johnson, Ron Harper, Jr. and Montez Mathis each had 14 points to share the team lead for Rutgers. Johnson had 14 rebounds and Harper had 10 rebounds, each recording a double-double.
BIG PICTURE
Rutgers: Geo Baker, the Knights' leading scorer, had nine points, snapping his streak of six consecutive games in double figures.
Pitt: After dropping two of their first four games, the Panthers have now won five straight and seem to be rounding into form against top-flight opponents, with their victory over the Knights coming on the heels of wins over Northwestern and Kansas State. Pitt now has four major-conference wins, as many as they had in all of 2018-19.
UP NEXT
Rutgers: Begins Big Ten play with a trip to No. 11 Michigan State on Sunday. The Knights are 0-8 all-time against the Spartans, with seven of the losses coming as conference opponents.
Pitt: Travels to Louisville for its second ACC game of the season. The Panthers are 1-0 in conference play after beating Florida State to open their season. Friday's contest will be Pitt's 20th overall game against the No. 1 team in the AP Poll. Pitt is 2-17 all-time against the top team in the AP Poll with both wins coming against Connecticut during the 2008-09 season.
