Villanova Pulls Away in Second Half to Hand Pitt 79-61 Defeat

Saturday, December 13

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Villanova Pulls Away in Second Half to Hand Pitt 79-61 Defeat

12/13/2025 7:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova used a pair of decisive runs in the second half to pull away from Pitt, handing the Panthers a 79-61 setback Saturday afternoon at Finneran Pavilion.

Barry Dunning, Jr.paced Pitt (5-6) with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. The senior guard extended his double-figure scoring streak to seven games and is now averaging 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds over that stretch. Nojus Indrusaitis added 14 points off the bench, going 6-of-13 from the field.

Cameron Corhen and Damarco Minor each contributed 10 points for the Panthers. Corhen grabbed seven rebounds to extend his streak of games with at least six boards to 11 straight, dating back to the season opener. Minor added five rebounds, two assists and a team-high two steals.

The game featured three ties and nine lead changes through the first 12 minutes, with Pitt holding a 23-22 advantage. The Panthers built their largest lead at 28-24 before Villanova answered with a 12-0 run to seize control. Minor stopped the drought with a driving layup, and after a Villanova turnover, Indrusaitis scored on his own drive to pull Pitt within 36-32.

However, the Wildcats closed the half strong, finishing on a 17-4 run over the final six minutes to take a 41-32 halftime advantage.

Villanova opened the second half with a three-pointer to push the lead to 44-32, but Dunning responded with eight consecutive points – an interior basket followed by back-to-back three-pointers – to spark an 8-0 Pitt run and trim the deficit to 44-40. The Wildcats answered immediately with a baseline jumper as the shot clock expired.

Villanova then put the game away with a 9-0 run, extending the lead to 53-40 with 13:54 remaining. Pitt fought back, cutting the margin to 61-55 on a driving layup by Brandin Cummings with 9:12 to play.

A decisive 10-0 Villanova run over the next two and a half minutes effectively sealed the outcome, pushing the lead to 71-55 with 6:43 remaining. The Wildcats maintained a comfortable cushion the rest of the way.

Villanova shot 52.0 percent from the field (26-of-50) and connected on 9-of-22 three-pointers (40.9 percent). The Wildcats dominated at the free-throw line, making 18-of-24 (75.0 percent) compared to Pitt's 8-of-12 (66.7 percent). Villanova Head Coach Kevin Willard, a Pitt graduate who played for the Panthers from 1994-97 under his father Ralph Willard, improved to 8-2 in his second season leading his alma mater's foe.

Pitt shot 42.1 percent from the floor (24-of-57) and struggled from three-point range, connecting on just 5-of-22 (22.7 percent). The Panthers did hold a 36-27 rebounding advantage, including a 16-7 edge on the offensive glass, but committed 12 turnovers and were outscored 16-6 in points off turnovers.

The Wildcats were led by a balanced attack featuring Bryce Lindsay and Duke Brennan, who each scored 24 points. Lindsay went 8-of-18 from the field and knocked down four three-pointers, while Brennan dominated inside, going a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor and adding 8-of-12 at the free-throw line. Acaden Lewis chipped in 11 points and a game-high seven assists as Villanova finished with 20 assists on 26 field goals.

The loss snaps Pitt's six-game winning streak in the all-time series to tie it at 33-33.

The Panthers will return home to the Petersen Events Center to face Binghamton Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.