Pitt
10-4,1-2ACC
Wake Forest
8-5,1-2ACC
Pitt Drops Back and Forth Battle With Wake Forest
1/4/2020 2:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH - Pitt and Wake Forest engaged in a back and forth ACC battle that resulted 11 ties and 10 lead changes, but the Demon Deacons prevailed, 69-65, over the Panthers at home at The Petersen Events Center Saturday afternoon.
Wake Forest (8-5, 1-2 ACC) held Pitt (10-4, 1-2 ACC) scoreless over the last 3:07 after Panther guard Trey McGowens hit a reverse layup to pull Pitt within 66-65. Pitt held the Demon Deacons without a made field goal over the final 3:56 of play but Wake went 3-of-5 from the foul line to secure the win.
"Down the stretch, disappointing in our last few possessions, we didn't get the shots that we really wanted," said head coach Jeff Capel. "That's on all of us and we have to do a better job in those situations knowing where we want to get the shots from and making sure we execute to do that. We can't panic."
The Panthers missed their last five shots, including a potential go-ahead three-pointer by McGowens with 27 seconds left. McGowens also had a potential game-tying layup blocked by Wake Forest's Olivier Sarr with less than one second to go. Brandon Childress drained two free throws for the Demon Deacons for the final margin.
"I thought Trey [McGowens] had a really good take," said junior guard Ryan Murphy. "I thought he had a really good look at it. I actually thought he was going to try to dunk it because he's really athletic and he had a good look at it but the guy just blocked it. I mean, that's basketball. Last minute, tensions are high, and guys are trying to make the last play."
Murphy led Pitt with 18 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Calabasas, Calif., native went 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range in the contest.
McGowens finished with 12 points and Xavier Johnson and Justin Champagnie added 11 points each for the Panthers but Pitt saw a three-game winning streak come to an end after a back-and-forth second half.
Wake Forest went up 59-51 on a pair of free throws by Massoud with 7:33 to go before the Panthers responded. An Eric Hamilton layup capped an 8-0 run that tied it at 59 but the Demon Deacons hung around. A three-pointer by Andrien White gave the Demon Deacons a 66-63 edge and Wake Forest's defense made sure it was enough to hold on.
The Panthers raced to a 22-6 lead after turnovers and missed shots by the Demon Deacons early in the first half. The Panthers missed 14 of their last 17 shots to end the half and Wake Forest drew within 30-27 at the break.
BIG PICTURE
Wake Forest: In a pivotal season for head coach Danny Manning, the Demon Deacons gave their season a needed jolt after a wildly uneven non-conference slate that included losses to Boston and Stetson and a win over Xavier.
Pitt: The loss to Wake Forest puts Pitt at 7-3 at home this season and the Panthers hit the road next for the first time since a December 6 tilt at Louisville. Pitt will play North Carolina and Miami on the road next week before returning home for a three-game homestand. The Panthers have lost 22 consecutive ACC road games, a streak that dates back to the 2016-17 season.
UP NEXT
Wake Forest: Hosts Florida State on Wednesday. The Demon Deacons are 1-4 against the Seminoles under Manning.
Pitt: Visits North Carolina on Wednesday. The Panthers have dropped six straight to the Tar Heels.
