Friars Upset Bid Falls Short, Lose to #5 Pitt 83-79
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Twice they have taken the 5th ranked team in the nation down to the wire. Twice they have failed to pull off the upset.
They say that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades and that is a lesson that the PC Friars are quickly learning at the start of this Big East season.
Last night they battles #5 Pitt down to the wire at the Dunk before eventually falling to the Panthers 83-79.
After playing then 5th-ranked Syracuse tough at the Carrier Dome in their Big East opener, the Friars then returned to the Dunk where they lost to St. John’s leaving an uneasy feeling about this team.
Last night, Providence showed again that they can play with the better teams in the country at times. However, they have yet to prove that they can beat them.
Pitt jumped out to an early 15-6 lead with 14:30 to go in the first half leaving many at the Dunk wondering if this was going to be a blowout. It was not.
The Friars battled back with an 11-0 run to take a 17-15 lead on two Vincent Council (13pts, 10 assists, 5 reb, 6 steals) baskets with just under 10 minutes left in the half.
But the Panthers would respond with a 23-14 run to close out the half taking a 38-31 lead at the break.
The Friars cut it to a 2-point game with 12 minutes to go at 52-50 before Pitt went on a 12-3 run capped off by a Lamar Patterson three (5 pts) to take a 64-53 lead with under 8 minutes to play.
But Providence hung tough. Threes by Duke Mondy (12 pts) and freshman Gerard Coleman (11 pts) closed the gap to two at 73-71. Then two Brad Wanamaker turnovers led to a Kadeem Batts (9 pts, 6 reb) lay-up and a Marshon Brooks three (28 pts) and the Friars were in the lead 76-73 with 1:31 to play.
But the final minute and a half showed Friar fans why Pitt (14-1, 2-0 Big East)is a perennial Big East contender and why Providence (11-5, 0-3 Big East) is not.
Even though the Friars defense is improved this season, they are still not where they need to be. While it has improved from a year ago (22 Pitt turnovers), it did not deliver with the game on the line.
Meanwhile, Pitt forced a Gerard Coleman turnover and converted a three on the other end putting the Panthers back on top 78-76.
Pitt also made all 6 of its free throws down the stretch while Vincent Council went 0-2 from the line with :11 seconds left and the Friars down four.
For the 9,181 fans on hand it was an exciting night of basketball at the Dunk but one that ended in disappointment for the Friars.
PC now leaves the state of Rhode island for their next three Big East games. They visit Rutgers Saturday night at 8pm.
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