Pitt Vs. Seton Hall: Panthers Lose Again, Postseason Outlook Bleak

Pitt lost a close game against Seton Hall on Sunday, dropping their second straight, 73-66.

The Panthers fought back after a ten-point first-half deficit and held a lead as large as six late in the game. But after a 7-0 Seton Hall run put the team ahead, Pitt ran out of steam. The Panthers had a chance to tie the game down three in the final minute, but after a Tray Woodall turnover, any chance for a win went down the drain.

Pitt knew that Seton Hall’s leading scorers, Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore, would be difficult to contain. That proved true as the duo combined for 34 points. But what the Panthers likely didn’t count on was the 19 points the Pirates got from freshman Aaron Cosby. Cosby averaged under eight points coming into the game, but had a career outing on Sunday, making five of nine three-pointers.

Seton Hall, as a whole, doesn’t shoot the ball all that well from long distance, but against Pitt, that was a different story. The Pirates made 10 of their 23 attempts – one of their best showings all season.

Pitt also didn’t get nearly as many contributions as they needed on offense. Ashton Gibbs played a good game for the Panthers leading all players in scoring with 26 points, but after Lamar Patterson who chipped in with 15, the team got little from their starters. Tray Woodall had nine, but on 2-of-10 shooting and Nasir Robinson and Talib Zanna combined for only six on 2-of-9 shooting. As a whole, Pitt didn’t shoot the ball well again, finishing under 40 percent for the day.

Two games ago, Pitt looked as if they may be heading for an NCAA Tournament bid. But now with consecutive losses, the NIT may be a more likely destination.

For more on the game and Pitt basketball, check out SB Nation blog, Cardiac Hill.

The Pitt Panthers dropped their second straight game on Sunday afternoon, falling 73-66 to the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center. Pitt had a six-point lead with under eight minutes to play but squandered it away to the Hall as the clock wound down. In a matter of two minutes, a six-point lead became a four-point deficit.

Ashton Gibbs, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, led all scorers with 26 points. The Panthers cut a Pirates lead to one when Gibbs drew a foul on a three-pointer, sinking all three attempts from the charity stripe to cut it to 67-66 with a minute and a half to go. Gibbs scored 17 of the Panthers' last 19 points, but Pitt could not get the stops at the other end of the floor.

Western Pennsylvania native and one-time Pitt recruit Herb Pope dominated in the paint, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Pope took a nice feed from fellow senior Jordan Theodore to lay in a bucket and extend the Pirate lead back to three with under 30 seconds to play. Travon Woodall then turned it over for Pitt and a questionable flagrant foul call on Nasir Robinson, who was trying to foul Pope and put him at the line, sealed the deal.

Seton Hall, which was right on the bubble, improves to 6-7 in the Big East, while Pitt drops to 4-9, losing its second straight game after the four-game win streak to start this month. The Panthers' path to the NCAA Tournament just got even steeper.

For more on the game and Pitt basketball, check out SB Nation's blog, Cardiac Hill. For all your Big East hoops news, visit Big East Coast Bias.

The Pittsburgh Panthers are looking to bounce back from their loss to South Florida with a Sunday matinee win in New Jersey over Seton Hall. The PIrates are currently a game ahead of Pitt in the Big East standings, and another loss for the Panthers could all but eliminate their hopes of putting themselves on the bubble.

The Panthers went on a 9-0 run at the under eight minute timeout to get back in it and cut the lead down from double digits. While Ashton Gibbs has yet to connect from outside, he and Lamar Patterson each have nine points. But once again, the return of Travon Woodall has made all the difference for the Panthers. Woodall has been able to penetrate and get into the lane consistently, and then hit a big three to cut the Seton Hall lead to two and finish the half on a 16-6 run. The Panther point guard also finished with nine.

Western Pennsylvania native Herb Pope leads Seton Hall with nine points, and has made his presence felt on the inside, mixing it up with Pitt big man Talib Zanna at one point. Pittsburgh will look to carry over the momentum from the final eight minutes and pull out much-needed road win in the conference.

For more on the game and Pitt basketball, check out SB Nation's blog, Cardiac Hill. For all your Big East hoops news, visit Big East Coast Bias.