University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
7-9,0-3ACC
Syracuse
11-5,2-1ACC
Cummings Scores 29 Off The Bench In Loss To Syracuse
1/10/2026 5:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Sophomore guard Brandin Cummings came off the bench to score 29 points, but Pitt could not overcome an early double-digit deficit as Syracuse (11-5, 2-1 ACC) held on for an 83-72 victory Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.
Cummings finished 11-of-17 from the field and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. His 29 points left him one point shy of his third career 30-point game. All three of his top scoring games have come off the bench and he is the only player in program history to have multiple games of 29+ points as a non-starter. His 34 points off the bench earlier this year against Hofstra set the program record.
The Panthers fell into an early hole, with Syracuse opening on a 13-0 run to take a 13-2 lead before the first media timeout. The Orange led by as many as 15 points in the first half before Cummings helped spark a rally. He scored 16 first-half points on 5-of-5 shooting as Pitt closed the half on a 5-0 run to trail 48-37 at the break.
Syracuse pushed its lead to 18 early in the second half, but the Panthers kept fighting. Roman Siulepa scored inside, grabbed a steal and converted two free-throws after being fouled as Pitt got within 13 at 59-46. Later he converted an and-one as Pitt pulled within 11 at 64-53.
The Panthers continued to chip away, with Cummings hitting a three-pointer to make it 72-66 with 6:33 remaining. After Syracuse answered with a three, Cameron Corhen threw down a dunk to cut the lead to seven at 75-68 with 5:40 to play. Pitt could draw no closer as the Orange closed out the win.
Siulepa finished with 13 points and tied a team-high eight rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. He also added two blocked shots and a steal despite being limited with foul trouble in the first half. Corhen contributed nine points and also eight rebounds while playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his career. Barry Dunning, Jr. and Omari Witherspoon each added eight points, and Damarco Minor had four steals to go with five points and three assists.
Pitt shot 43.8 percent from the field but struggled from three-point range, hitting just 5-of-26 (19.2 percent). The Panthers were a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line, the sixth-most attempts in program history with a perfect single-game percentage. Pitt outscored Syracuse 40-32 in the paint and had a 14-8 advantage in second-chance points thanks to 14 offensive rebounds.
Pitt (7-9, 0-3 ACC) will look to earn its first conference win when the Panthers return to action Tuesday at Georgia Tech (10-7, 1-3 ACC). That game is set for a 7 p.m. start on the ACC Network and the Panthers Radio Network.
