Pitt tops Va. Tech
PITTSBURGH – Sheldon Jeter scored a career-high 23 points in his first start of the season and Pittsburgh pulled away from Virginia Tech in the second half of a 90-71 victory Sunday night.
Michael Young overcame a sluggish start to finish with 13 points and seven rebounds for the Panthers (17-4, 6-3 ACC), who bounced back from a lopsided loss at Clemson to hand the Hokies their fourth straight defeat.
Pitt shot 53 percent (36 of 68) from the field and converted 20 Virginia Tech turnovers into 33 points the other way.
Seth Allen scored a career high 28 for the Hokies (12-10, 4-5), including 5 of 5 3-pointers. Jalen Hudson added 13 and Justin Bibbs and Zach LeDay had 12 each but Virginia Tech couldn’t keep pace with the Panthers, who returned to the uptempo and efficient style that served them so well earlier in the season.
Both teams came in searching for momentum with their hot starts in league play fading as the calendar ticked toward February. Pitt was sluggish early in a 73-60 loss at Clemson last week, the Panthers’ third double-digit setback in their last five games. The Hokies, meanwhile, have been more competitive but had nothing to show for it other than three straight losses to ACC blue bloods Notre Dame, Louisville and North Carolina by a combined 15 points.
Pitt coach Jamie Dixon shuffled his lineup looking for a spark and found it in Jeter, typically the first man off the bench. The junior wasted little time going to work, scoring 13 of the Panthers’ first 17 points on a variety of jumpers and a rare dunk. The early surge kept Pitt in the lead even with Young largely ineffective. Young was held scoreless in 10 minutes in the first half – failing to even take a shot or grab a rebound – before leaving for a spell after appearing to be ill.
Allen practically kept the Hokies in it by himself, making all three of his 3-pointers in the first half and getting to the line with regularity thanks to his ability to get in the lane and draw contact. The junior, however, received little help. That wasn’t a problem for Jeter, whose performance seemed to inspire fellow reserves Cameron Johnson and Ryan Luther.
Johnson drilled a pair of 3s and Luther – whose playing time has increased of late as a big body off the bench – hit a 3-pointer of his own as the Panthers took a 41-32 lead into the break and never really let Virginia Tech in it over the final 20 minutes.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies made 11 of 21 3-pointers. … Forward Satchel Pierce was called for a flagrant foul in the first half after getting tangled up with Pitt center Alonzo Nelson-Ododa.
Pitt: Luther and Johnson both finished with nine points. … Pitt outscored Virginia Tech in the paint 40-22.
Virginia Tech: at Syracuse on Tuesday
Pitt: hosts Virginia on Saturday.