On Tuesday night, Pitt faced off against Boston College at the Petersen Events Center, a venue that had yet to see an Eagles win since its opening in 2002. However, that changed Tuesday, as an improved Boston College team featuring the ACC’s leading scorer in Jerome Robinson was able to outpace Pitt 81-58.
Despite the disappointing result, the Panthers put on one of their better performances of the ACC season, as they came out swinging in the first half. In fact, Pitt went on an absolute tear from beyond the arc early in the game, as Parker Stewart, Marcus Carr and Khameron Davis divvied up the team’s first five three-pointers, collectively missing just two threes.
On the strength of their shooting, and with the contribution of some inside scoring from the likes of Kene Chukwuka and Terrell Brown, the Panthers were able to take advantage of early missteps by the Eagles, which included Robinson getting himself into some foul trouble. Boston College also started the game with a 0-for-7 shooting performance from the field.
However, as has often been the case this season, Pitt took its foot off the gas and allowed Boston College back into the game, as the Eagles went on a 16-4 run to finish the half, bringing the score to 34-32 in favor of the Panthers. It was just the second time Pitt held a halftime lead since the start of the conference schedule, with the other coming against NC State on Jan. 24.
Boston College continued to mount pressure on Pitt after the break, and Robinson particularly stepped up his efforts. After accounting for just two points and an assist in the first 20 minutes, the Eagles star came alive late, tacking on 25 points and another assist. In fact, in the first 10 minutes of the second half, he single-handedly outscored Pitt 10-6.
The Panthers, meanwhile, looked nothing like the versions of themselves that took the court at the start of the game. Although Jared Wilson-Frame came off the bench and knocked down three triples, he couldn’t sustain his brief scoring outburst and went on to rack up seven missed shots on the night. The rest of the team also fell quiet as the game came to a close.
When all was said and done, the reversal of fortune between the two teams at the half proved to be the difference on Tuesday night, as the Panthers were outscored 49-24 in the final frame. As a result, they fell to 8-19 on the season at the hands of the Eagles, extending their winless free fall in ACC play to 14 games.
Pitt has four games remaining on its regular-season schedule, and will next head to Tallahassee to face Florida State on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
