Pitt
9-7,5-6ACC
Georgia Tech
10-8,6-6ACC
Panthers Fall at Georgia Tech, 71-65
2/14/2021 6:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ATLANTA (AP) - Ithiel Horton scored 18 points with four made threes, but the Panthers fell short to Georgia Tech, 71-65, at McCamish Pavilion Sunday evening.
Horton paced Pitt (9-7, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 18 points, 15 coming in the second half. His 3-pointer with 25 seconds left pulled Pitt to 69-65. Au'Diese Toney poured in 13 of his 15 points in the second half, while Justin Champagnie and Xavier Johnson scored 13 each.
Moses Wright scored 24 points for the Yellow Jackets, making four of five shots in the second half. Bubba Parham added 11 points for Georgia Tech (10-8, 6-6 ACC), scoring five in the last 1:20 with a key 3-pointer and two foul shots. Michael Devoe scored 11 of his 13 after halftime and Jose Alvarado scored 12 with seven rebounds.
Toney finished one rebound shy of a double-double, while Abdoul Karim Coulibaly totaled eight rebounds (three offensive) and a team-best three steals in a career-high 37 minute effort.
Georgia Tech forced 18 Pitt turnovers, 12 in the first half. The Panthers had comitted fewer than 10 turnovers in each of the three previous contests.
Pitt had surged into a 31-22 halftime lead on a 16-4 run, and led most of the second half. Johnson pulled the Panthers into a 55-55 tie with 4:36 remaining, but Pitt missed four straight and five of its next seven before Toney made a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. By that time, Tech had built an eight-point lead.
The Panthers used a 9-0 run over a 2:48 span to tie the game at 55 with 4:36 remaining. Devoe made a deep three on the ensuing possession to give the Yellow Jackets the lead again.
Georgia Tech went 8-of-8 from the foul line over the final 1:52 of play to seal the game. The Yellow Jackets entered the game averaging 12 made free throws per game but finished the night 21-of-23 (.913) from the charity stripe. Pitt was just 8-of-15 (.533) from the foul line for the game.
Pitt takes on visiting N.C. State on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets continue their homestand, entertaining Boston College on Wednesday.
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