Pitt junior Malik Ellison, who came close to a double-double in each of the past two games, won’t play Saturday when the Panthers meet N.C. State at 2 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.
Pitt basketball’s Twitter account reported Ellison was hurt late in the overtime loss to Wake Forest on Tuesday night. He was on the floor in the last minute of the game.
Losing Ellison is a big blow to the young Panthers because he collected 11 rebounds and nine points against Syracuse on Feb. 2 and eight and eight at Wake Forest. He also has more collegiate experience than anyone on Pitt team’s with the exception of senior Jared Wilson-Frame.
The result is that Pitt (12-11, 2-8) will try to stop its six-game losing streak with only three players off the bench.
Ellison, a transfer from St. John’s, is averaging 19.9 minutes, 6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds through 23 games. He has started 16 of them.
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
