Syracuse stops Pitt to win season series
Associated Press
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — JJ Starling scored 17 points, Judah Mintz had 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Syracuse beat Pitt 69-58 Tuesday night for its second series victory in 17 days.
It was Syracuse’s first win in Pittsburgh since a 72-49 victory on Feb. 26, 2020 — snapping a three-game losing streak. The Orange won the first meeting this season — at home — Dec. 30.
Syracuse had its 11-point halftime lead trimmed to 44-36 before scoring the next seven points to rebuild a double-digit advantage. Pitt missed seven straight shots during the Orange’s run.
Freshman Jaland Lowe, averaging 5.4 points, scored eight straight Pitt points to get within 62-53 with 3:44 left. But the Panthers didn’t make another field goal until Federiko Federiko completed a three-point play with 40 seconds remaining.
Starling sealed it for Syracuse on a wide open 3-pointer from the corner with 1:31 left for a 16-point lead.
Chris Bell, who entered averaging 11.7 points in three January games, added 10 points — all in the first half — for Syracuse (12-5, 3-3 ACC). Maliq Brown made his third consecutive start in the absence of junior center Naheem McLeod, who was out due to a foot injury.
Lowe finished with a season-high 20 points for Pittsburgh (10-7, 1-5). Blake Hinson, averaging a team-high 18.4 points, was held to 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting.
Syracuse, which was coming off a 103-67 loss to No. 7 North Carolina, begins a three-game homestand on Saturday against Miami.
Pittsburgh starts a three-game road swing on Saturday against No. 7 Duke.