Panthers Fall in Back and Forth Battle with Florida State

Saturday, January 21

Pittsburgh, PA

3 PM

Pitt

13-7,6-3ACC

Florida State

7-13,5-4ACC

Florida St.

Pittsburgh

Panthers Fall in Back and Forth Battle with Florida State

1/21/2023 6:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Notes Quotes Pitt Florida State Photo Gallery

PITTSBURGH – Jamarius Burton and Blake Hinson combined for 36 points but it wasn't enough for Pitt to overcome 10 three-point field goals from Florida State as the Panthers dropped a 71-64 decision Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center. Despite the loss, Pitt remains near the top of the ACC standings with a 6-3 conference mark, while Florida State improved to 5-4 in league play.

Darin Green, Jr., knocked down five three-point field goals and finished with a game-high 24 points to lead the Seminoles. His step back three late in the shot clock with 1:52 remaining stopped a Pitt run and gave Florida State a 68-64 cushion.

Burton led the Panthers with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and added five assists. Hinson knocked down four threes and had 16 points and nine rebounds before fouling out late in the contest. Pitt also got an eight-point, eight-rebound, three-block effort from Federiko Federiko.

Greg Elliott got Pitt off to a strong start with seven points in the opening five minutes of action. His four-point play at the 15:31 mark gave Pitt a 13-5 lead early in the game.

Florida State knocked down five three-point field goals during a 20-2 run to pull ahead 25-17 with 9:15 left in the first half. Pitt chipped the lead back to five points but a late 7-0 run by the Seminoles sent the Panthers into halftime with a 39-29 deficit.

Florida State shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the field in the opening half, including a blistering 7-of-12 from three-point range. Pitt was just 9-of-28 (.321) from the field, including 2-of-12 (.167) from beyond the arc. The Panthers missed their final nine three-point attempts in the half.

Pitt came out of halftime and ignited the Petersen Events Center crowd with a 19-6 run to force a Florida State timeout with 13:20 remaining. Hinson knocked down consecutive threes to cap an 8-0 run and give the Panthers a 48-45 advantage. Hinson made three three-pointers, while Burton and Federiko each converted a pair of buckets in the lane during the run. Pitt opened the half by making 8-of-11 shots from the field.

With Pitt leading by five with just under 12 remaining, Green Jr., brought the Seminoles back with a pair of threes and a tough pull-up jumper. Matthew Cleveland hit an off balance jumper from the corner off an underneath out of bounds to give Florida State a 62-56 lead with just under six minutes remaining.

Hinson hit his fourth three of the half to cut the deficit in half, but Green Jr. was given three foul shots on a long range attempt at the under four timeout and converted all three free throws.

Nelly Cummings again cut the lead in half on a win three with 3:21 remaining and Federiko came up with key defensive plays to keep Pitt within striking distance. Burton's driving layup through contact made the score 65-64 before Green's dagger three with just under two minutes remaining gave the Seminoles the advantage.

DOUBLE-DIGIT BURTON
Burton, in his 100^th career start, scored in double figures for the 17^th time in 18 games played this season. He finished with a team-high 20 points for his fourth 20+ point scoring game in ACC play.

SECOND HALF SHOOTING
Pitt rebounded from a cold shooting opening half to go 14-of-26 (.538) from the field after halftime. The Panthers were 9-of-10 (.900) on their two-point attempts in the second half. Despite attacking the paint with regularity after halftime Pitt was just 2-of-2 from the foul line in the second half.

GUARDS STRUGGLE FROM THREE
Pitt's backcourt rotation had an off shooting performance from beyond the arc going just 3-of-19 overall. The group started 2-of-3 from distance in the opening four and a half minutes of play.

UP NEXT
The Panthers are home to host Wake Forest Wednesday, Jan. 25 (7 p.m. – ACC Network). Pitt will celebrate the 35^th anniversary of Jerome Lane's backboard shattering dunk against Providence with 'Send it in Jerome!" night. The first 1,500 fans will receive a voucher (redeemable following the game) for a commemorative pint glass and the first 1,000 student will receive a Jerome Lane jersey t-shirt. Lane will be honored at the game and will also be signing autographs in the Thomas E. Richards Family Lobby from 6-6:45 p.m. Tickets for the game are available HERE.