SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Jeff Capel’s team looked to have its opponent right where it wanted it. After closing the opening half on a 14-4 run, an early triple from Guillermo Diaz Graham built Pitt’s lead to 11 points in enemy territory. But following that 3-ball, it was Syracuse that took complete control, responding with a 22-4 run and ultimately holding on for an 81-73 win Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome.
“It’s disappointing for us, especially the effort in the second half,” Capel said after the loss. “I don’t think it came from a lack of trying or playing hard — we just didn’t play with the necessary strength and force that’s needed in this type of competition.”
While the Panthers (9-4, 0-2) did their best to fight back into the contest, even tying the score with five minutes remaining, the Orange (10-3, 1-1) were able to capitalize on Pitt’s mistakes, which made the difference.
After struggling to defend in the paint early on, Pitt received a notable boost on the defensive end from Will Jeffress, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Zack Austin after starting the past two games. The Panthers gained momentum midway through the opening half thanks to a tenacious presence on the glass, which included nine offensive rebounds. Jeffress led the way for Pitt on that front, hauling in seven total rebounds in 12 minutes of action.
“I thought Will played with great energy,” Capel said, “especially in the first half. He defended well. He talked. He was a connector.”
The basket was friendly to the Panthers in the early going, as Capel’s group headed into the locker room at the break shooting a solid 56% from 3-point range. However, as time went on, key scorers such as Blake Hinson and Bub Carrington cooled off while Syracuse heated up.
Monster performances from Syracuse reserves Quadir Copeland, Maliq Brown and Benny Williams helped fuel a 38-point second-half scoring effort from Adrian Autry’s bench. Altogether, the Orange reserves outscored Pitt’s bench 52-17.
“We felt coming in that [Syracuse’s] energy and defensive intensity picked up when it would go to the bench with Brown and Copeland,” Capel said. “Those two guys, with the energy they provide, we just didn’t match it. We were weak. They were knocking the ball away from us. They were outhustling us for rebounds. At times when we got rebounds, they knocked the ball away from us. It was just that.”
Syracuse regained the lead from Pitt six minutes into the second half in the midst of its monster run. And even after their run came to a close, the Orange seemingly always had a response to whatever Pitt threw their way. The most notable of Syracuse’s counterpunches came with just under five minutes remaining when it rallied to put together an 8-0 run after the Panthers tied the game.
“They had all the momentum, and we couldn’t change it,” Capel said. “We couldn’t shift it.”
Copeland led the Orange to victory with a game-high and career-best 22 points, while Brown and Williams each chipped in 15 points. Judah Mintz was the lone Syracuse starter to eclipse double figures in scoring, tallying 12 in his team’s win.
Carrington scored a team-high 17 points for Pitt in the loss but also had five costly turnovers to go along with his seven rebounds and five assists. Diaz Graham was second best in scoring for the Panthers, contributing 14 points. Hinson finished the afternoon with 11 points on 3 of 12 shooting before fouling out in the game’s final minute.
Key stats: The two areas that hurt Pitt the most Saturday afternoon were the turnover department and the foul line.
The Panthers turned the ball over a season-high 15 times, which the Orange parlayed into 16 points. Although 10 of those turnovers occurred in the opening half, the final five were far more costly, fueling multiple Syracuse runs.
“I don’t think it was really anything they really did,” said Jaland Lowe, who played 17 turnover-free minutes for the Panthers on Saturday afternoon. “It was self-inflicted. We know we gotta be stronger with the ball. We weren’t as strong as we can be today. I really think it was on us today.”
Capel’s team also left more than a few points at the charity stripe, sinking just 11 of 24 free-throw attempts for a season-worst 46% showing. Six different Panthers attempted at least one foul shot, and none were able to avoid a miss.
“We have to make [free throws],” Capel said. “It’s nothing that I can do or any coach can do. We can practice them, which we do. We have to be able to have the necessary strength to step up and make free throws in situations that extend the lead, to cut into a lead, to stop a run, things like that.”
Quotable: As far as what could be learned from Saturday’s loss, Capel had no shortage of takeaways.
“We all can learn that we have to be stronger,” Capel said. “We have to value the basketball more. We have to be able to be resilient collectively as a group. We have to defend every possession. And we have to finish possessions.”
Jeffress, one of the team’s key leaders, offered similar thoughts.
"I just think, as a team, we have to be tougher,” said Jeffress, who finished with two points, 10 rebounds and an assist. “We have to be more resilient. We have to pay more attention to detail. We have to make free throws and limit turnovers. That's the name of the game right now."
Up next: With 2023 now in the rearview mirror, Pitt will return home to host No. 9 North Carolina on Tuesday evening. The Tar Heels (9-3, 1-0) enter the matchup looking for revenge against the Panthers, having lost three straight against Capel’s team. Pitt and North Carolina will tip off at 7 p.m., and the contest will be televised on ESPN.
Noah Hiles: nhiles@post-gazette.com and Twitter @_NoahHiles
First Published: December 30, 2023, 7:23 p.m.
Updated: December 30, 2023, 7:55 p.m.