Pitt
12-5,3-3ACC
Florida State
12-5,3-3ACC
Panthers Fall at Florida State
1/16/2025 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jorge Diaz Graham scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half as Pitt's comeback effort fell short Wednesday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Panthers were unable to overcome as season-high 17 turnovers and 28 free throws made by Florida State.
Jaland Lowe added 22 points, five assists, and three steals but suffered a career-high eight turnovers on the night. Ishmael Leggett added 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists as Pitt slipped to 12-5 overall and 3-3 in ACC play.
Pitt grabbed its first lead, 12-10, at the 11:15 mark as Brandin Cummings scored on a baseline floater following a tough offensive rebound putback from Guillermo Diaz Graham on the previous possession.
Florida State used a 9-0 run to grab a 21-14 lead with 5:54 remaining in the half. The Seminoles extended its lead to 24-16 as Jamir Watkins hit his third three-pointer of the half with 3:55 remaining.
Leggett drilled a corner three with 2:20 left in the half to snap the Panther shooting drought and found Jorge Diaz Graham for a tip a minute later as Pitt continued to chip away at the deficit. The Panthers trailed by three in the closing seconds of the half before Chandler Jackson threw in a floater off a loose ball scramble just before the halftime buzzer to give the Seminoles a 28-23 lead at the break.
Zack Austin hit a corner three early in the second half to get the Panthers within one before Florida State used a 10-0 run to pull ahead 40-29 with 16:07 remaining. Malique Ewin scored the final eight points of the run to ignite the Seminoles and force a Pitt timeout.
Florida State extended its lead to 16 after threes by Justin Thomas and Daquan Davis midway through the half.
Jorge Diaz Graham sparked a Pitt rally to cut the Seminole lead to eight with back-to-back threes and a steal in a span of 58 seconds to cut the score to 55-47 with 8:10 remaining. Austin added a three to cap a 12-2 run as Pitt pulled to 57-51 as Jorge Diaz Graham hit his third three of the half to pull the Panthers within five with 5:34 remaining.
Pitt continued to fight back with another Diaz Graham three with 2:26 remaining for a 68-62 margin, but could not get any closer as Florida State made nine free throws in the final 90 seconds en route to an 82-70 final.
The Panthers held Florida State without a field goal from the 5:01 mark until the final 30 seconds of play to claw back into the game, but the Seminoles went 19-of-22 from the line in the final five minutes of play.
FIRST HALF OFFENSIVE SLOG
Pitt and Florida State combined for 24 first half turnovers and just 14-of-51 (.275) shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes of action. Pitt matched a season-low with 23 points in the half, while finished just one shy of its season-high in a game with 14 first half turnovers.
BOUNCE BACK SECOND HALF
Pitt recovered from the low scoring opening half to post 47 points after halftime. Lowe scored 20 of his 22 points after halftime as he and Jorge Diaz Graham combined for 35 of the Panthers 47 points.
UP NEXT
Pitt returns home Saturday, Jan. 18 to host Clemson (12 p.m. – The CW) in its Roc the Royal game. Pitt will also retire Sam Clancy's No. 15 jersey during a halftime ceremony at the Petersen Events Center. Fans can secure their tickets for Saturday's contest HERE.
