University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
9-15,2-9ACC
SMU
16-7,5-5ACC
SMU Pulls Away in Second Half, Defeats Pitt 86-67
2/7/2026 4:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – SMU used a blistering second-half shooting performance to pull away from Pitt for an 86-67 victory Saturday afternoon at Petersen Events Center.
The Panthers (9-15, 2-9 ACC) hung close throughout a competitive first half before the Mustangs (16-7, 5-5 ACC) opened the second half with a 9-0 run and never looked back, shooting 70.4 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes to earn the win. SMU finished the game at 57.1 percent (32-of-56) from the field, including an efficient 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) performance from three-point range.
Cameron Corhen led Pitt with 15 points and three rebounds in 29 minutes, while Barry Dunning Jr. added 12 points and seven rebounds. Nojus Indrusaitis contributed 10 points off the bench.
Damarco Minor orchestrated the offense with five assists to go along with nine points, while Omari Witherspoon chipped in eight points and four assists. Roman Siulepa finished with seven points, six rebounds and two steals in the losing effort.
The first half featured nine lead changes and five ties as the two teams traded baskets throughout the opening 20 minutes. Pitt built an early 14-9 advantage on a Kieran Mullen block that sparked a fastbreak three-pointer. The Panthers later led 28-24 after a Witherspoon fadeaway jumper following a Siulepa corner three off a Witherspoon assist.
SMU closed the half on an 8-4 run to take a 34-32 lead into the break. Dunning stopped a string of eight consecutive Pitt misses with a layup in the final 11 seconds to keep the Panthers within striking distance at halftime. Pitt held a 20-17 advantage on the boards in the opening half, collecting eight offensive rebounds.
The second half belonged to SMU as the Mustangs seized control with a 9-0 run to open the period, building a 43-32 advantage and forcing a Pitt timeout. Corhen ended the drought with a dunk just before the shot clock expired to make it 43-34.
Pitt battled to cut into the deficit midway through the half. Siulepa's steal and dunk trimmed a 20-point lead down to 14 with 7:51 to play, forcing an SMU timeout. The Panthers also got a late three-pointer from Indrusaitis as part of a 5-0 spurt that made it 63-49 with 8:42 remaining, but the Mustangs answered each time to maintain a comfortable margin the rest of the way.
Boopie Miller paced SMU with 20 points and nine assists, while Jaron Pierre Jr. added 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Samet Yigitoglu contributed 15 points and eight rebounds for the visitors, who dominated the paint 44-26 and turned a 25-9 advantage in fast-break points into transition baskets throughout the afternoon.
Pitt shot 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the field for the game, including 24.2 percent (8-of-33) from three-point range. The Panthers were solid at the free-throw line, converting 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) attempts, but were unable to overcome the shooting differential. SMU's 57.1 percent field goal percentage was tied for the second-highest allowed by the Panthers this season.
Pitt returns to ACC action by hosting No. 4 Duke Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN.
