The Pitt Panthers gave a ranked Louisville team all they could handle on Sunday, forcing the Cardinals to play the full forty minutes before a last second Ashton Gibbs three-pointer would come up short. The Panthers would fall 57-54 and drop their fifth straight. They're now 4-12 in the Big East as they enter the final week of the season before the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Pitt kept it even all afternoon and fought back from a five-point deficit with less than two minutes to play. Tray Woodall air-balled a runner in the lane, forcing PItt to foul Chane Behanan, who extended the Cardinals' lead to three. On Pitt's next possession, Woodall would opt for the two-point layup to cut the lead to one. Louisville would hit their free throws again and an Ashton Gibbs heave from thirty plus feet would hit the back of the rim and come off for the three-point loss.
Gibbs had a very quiet day, scoring only four points on two of five from the floor. Woodall also had a rough day, hitting just two of ten attempts from the field. Louisville's full-court pressure held Pitt to just eight attempts from the three-point line, where they hit only one. J.J. Moore led the Panthers with 16 points and also grabbed seven rebounds. He's been a bright spot during this losing streak, giving Jamie Dixon a burst of athleticism off the bench.
The Panthers now host St. John's on Wednesday night, looking to break this losing streak and maybe build some momentum heading into the conference tournament.
For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Panthers, visit Cardiac Hill, SB Nation's Pitt blog. For more on Big East basketball, check out Big East Coast Bias.