GAME RECAP: Pitt survives 89-81

Well, Pitt is moving on to the quarterfinals tomorrow against Duke. After the teams traded baskets in the early going, Pitt began to build a big lead, going into the break up 44-31. It all unraveled pretty quickly after intermission and Pitt found themselves in a battle. Georgia Tech took their first lead since it was 8-6 at 52-50 with 12 minutes and change left in the game. Pitt responded with a Federiko dunk. As has been the case so often with this team, they made plays down the stretch and came away with a victory. Here are a few notes about each player.

Nelly Cummings

• Nailed a big step back three to extend Pitt’s lead to 19-12.
• Had a bit of a rough patch early in the 2nd half with a few turnovers and bad shots that allowed GT to mount a comeback.
• He recovered and scored several crucial baskets on layups in the final minutes.

Greg Elliott

• Made four monster three pointers, each one bigger than the last. Closed the game by making all four free throws in the final 30 seconds.

Blake Hinson

• Has tried to take the ball to the basket a lot in the early going.
• Made a sweet defensive play on a fast break by backing up as the GT player tried to initiate contact.
• Struggled a bit to find his shot for most of the game, but as has been the case so soften, he made two big shots down the stretch. One a three pointer and the other the traditional and one.

Jamarius Burton

• Most of his baskets were in his sweet spot of the middle of the paint.
• Had several big buckets down the stretch.
• His footwork is just so good.
• He finished with a game-high 21 points on 10-15 shooting and team-high 8 assists. Vintage JB.

Federiko Federiko

• Had a strong first half with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
• Made a nice pass to a cutting Hinson for a lay-up near the end of the half
• Picked up his fourth foul with just under ten minutes left in the half.
• Finished with 19 and 8. Other than mishandling a couple rebounds that would have given him a double double, this was a fantastic game. He was 7-7 from the field.

Nike Sibande

• Chased down a long rebound in the first half and immediately took it back to the hoop for a lay-in

Guillermo Diaz-Graham

• Excellent weak-side rebound off a baseline miss by Sibande midway through the 2nd half. He got fouled and made both.
• Made a really nice block.

Jorge Diaz-Graham

• Not much sticks out for me from his three minutes of play. He grabbed a rebound and missed his only shot attempt.