Panthers Keep Unblemished Record in Tough Road Setting
by Ray Floriani
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 9 Pitt took an unblemished record into the confines of the RAC on Wednesday evening. Rutgers entered he game excited about the possibility of an upset. The Scarlet Knights took Villanova into overtime a week earlier in these friendly confines before dropping a close decision. The follow-up was a nice road win over DePaul on Sunday. Pitt did score a good road win over Louisville, but the feeling among observers and the home crowd was that Rutgers could rise to the occasion and with the home court edge, pull an upset.
A breakdown of game action follows.
As teams are coming out on the floor for the opening tap, an older fan behinds me yells, ‘ref watch the elbows’. Amazing: referee Reggie Greenwood has yet to toss the ball up and the crowd is ‘working’ the crew.
20:00 – 15:00: Pitt is looking to seven-foot center Aaron gray early. Rutgers is struggling from the perimeter. Quincy Douby gets the first Scarlet Knight hoop on a 15-footer four minutes in.
Pitt 6, Rutgers 2
15:00 – 10:00: Jimmy Inglis comes off the bench, and the 6-9 senior gives Rutgers a physical post presence. Rebounding, especially on the offensive glass is a concern for Rutgers with Gray and 6-9 Levon Kendall inside.
Pitt 15, Rutgers 11
10:00 – 5:00: Gray gets his second personal and Pitt coach Jamie Dixon immediately substitutes. Rutgers makes a run. A Douby three at 8:41 ties it. An Adrian Hill offensive putback (with Gray sidelined) gives RU the first lead at the eight-minute mark. Naturally, the RAC explodes in a colorful ‘red sea’ of delirious Scarlet Knight faithful.
Score tied at 23
5:00 – 0:00: Sam Young, a 6-6 forward, comes off the bench to hold down the fort for Pitt. Douby banks in an NBA three with 11 seconds left and Rutgers regains the lead.
Half: Rutgers 38, Pitt 37
After getting stats a quick walk around the hallways reveals a number of Rutgers fans clad in red. A fair amount of students and younger fans sport Rutgers jerseys bearing Douby’s number 5. Several older fans have sweatshirts from the recent Insight Bowl that the football team appeared in. A rare Pitt jersey here or there also stands out among the crowd. Finally, one fan is wearing a Kentucky jersey with Tayshaun Prince’s No. 21 and name on the back. Interesting. Time for the second half.
20:00 – 1500: Gray is back in the lineup and Pitt starts right out attacking the basket. Rutgers is still decidedly perimeter-oriented tonight.
Pitt 47, Rutgers 43
15:00 – 10:00: Douby gets his fourth foul and goes to the bench. Rutgers’ offense sputters and becomes very tentative. At the ten-minute mark, Gary Waters’ club is truly fortunate to only be down six.
Pitt 53, Rutgers 47
10:00 – 5:00: Rutgers continues to struggle. The Scarlet Knights are eating valuable clock each possession and are indecisive. Douby gets back in and gives a lift. Pitt point guard Carl Krauser, relatively quiet tonight, hits a big three to boost the lead to eight.
Pitt 60, Rutgers 52
5:00 – 0:00: Rutgers is still cold and limited to one shot. Pitt is in command and when the margin hits twelve, Scarlet knight fans in the crowd of 8,065 slowly start for the exits. The Panthers hit their free throws in the stretch and improve to 15-0 as Rutgers falls to 12-5.
Final: Pitt 76, Rutgers 68
The Pitt team jubilantly exits the floor as Rutgers players, coaches, cheerleaders and dance team gather for the traditional alma mater played by the band.
Three keys to this contest:
- Tempo. Pitt did a great job of limiting the crowd’s influence. Naturally, the home fans exploded when Rutgers buried a three, but rather than inbound and rush the ball upcourt, risking a turnover and more fan intervention, Pitt patiently ran their offense. “Give the players credit for that,” Pitt assistant coach Joe Lombardi said. “When you have senior leadership at the point (Krauser) it goes a long way toward executing the game plan.”
- Dixon’s decision to sit Gray down with two fouls midway through the first half was huge. As noted Kendall held the fort inside and Young produced 10 first half points off the bench.
- Rutgers was too perimeter-oriented. The guard play is a strength for Waters and company. Still, a viable low post threat is needed to keep defenses honest.
Gray led Pitt with 20 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Douby led all scorers with 27. Kendall also was big for Pitt with a 14-point, 13-rebound evening.
“We knew it would be a defensive game,” Waters said afterward. “It all came down to who would execute in the end and Pitt did.”
Waters also noted the problems Gray caused down low. “He’s a force, you have to double him defensively,” he said, “and that is going to leave someone open.”
Dixon praised Rutgers calling, them an NCAA team. The Pitt mentor also noted, “We had some foul trouble, but a number of guys stepped up tonight. it was a grind-it-out win.”
There have been a few of those thus far in the Big East, with more to come.
