Pitt's rally comes up short against Georgia Tech

With 1 minute, 15 seconds to play Tuesday against Georgia Tech, Pitt had managed to dig itself out of repeated holes, having trailed the vast majority of the night, to tie things up.

But over the last 75 seconds, the Yellow Jackets scored the game’s final six points to secure a 73-67 win at Petersen Events Center.

Pitt (16-12, 7-10 ACC) had awful luck offensively over that span, as offensive rebounds and good looks didn’t translate into pivotal baskets.

No moment illustrated the flat finish more than Ish Leggett missing a wide-open, game-tying layup with 31 seconds to go.

Instead of Pitt tying the game at 69, Georgia Tech’s Lance Terry took the ball the other way and hit a fastbreak layup with 23 seconds left, putting the Yellow Jackets up, 71-67.

Pitt’s final offensive possession featured three offensive boards and four shot attempts, all of which came up empty.

“I feel for Ish – we want him in that situation at all times,” said coach Jeff Capel. “But throughout the game, we had some opportunities – we probably had about five plays in transition that we didn’t finish, where we just left points on the board. We have to be better in those situations.”

Following another ACC loss, the Panthers have plenty of reasons to choose from as to why they failed to get things done again.

There was the familiar big early deficit, with Georgia Tech building a 20-8 advantage with 11:17 left before halftime.

Defensively, Pitt held the Yellow Jackets to a 40.8% make rate (20 for 49) from the floor, but issues emerged individually with covering Georgia Tech forward Duncan Powell, who led all scorers with 26 points.

Powell was particularly effective from long range, as he drilled six 3-pointers, drawing fouls on several in quick succession in the second half to create successful 4-point plays.

Terry added 20 points for the Yellow Jackets, while Pitt was led by Jaland Lowe (25), Leggett (20) and Cam Corhen (12).

“The kid made some tough shots,” Capel said of Powell. “There were some where we were right there. We have to do a better job of finding him. We certainly have to do a better job of not fouling him, but you do give him credit – he made a lot of shots tonight.”

The other two departments that turned Tuesday into a frustrating loss as opposed to a hard-fought win for Pitt were rebounding and free throws.

Georgia Tech (14-14, 8-9) entered the game allowing the most rebounds per game (36.3) in the ACC, yet the Panthers were out-muscled on the glass, 37-27.

“I thought the game was lost for us with our inability to rebound,” Capel said.

At the charity stripe, the Yellow Jackets went 25 for 28 (89.3%).

Down the stretch, solid free throw shooting allowed Georgia Tech to fend off several Panthers rallies, including the surges that tied the game at 59 with 5:09 remaining and later at 67.

Over the final 10:54 of regulation, Georgia Tech hit only two shots from the floor, including a Powell 3-pointer.

From the 9:49 mark, the Yellow Jackets’ final 19 points came from the foul line.

“Really, really tough loss,” Capel said. “Congrats to Georgia Tech. We fought, we put ourselves in position to win, just unfortunately down the stretch, we couldn’t get stops without fouling.”

Battling back from an early 12-point hole, Lowe hit a 3-pointer with 2:39 left before halftime to trim Georgia Tech’s lead to three, 30-27.

The Panthers would trail by five at the half and faced multiple nine-point deficits well into the second, but stayed in the fight.

With 5:34 to play, Pitt took its first lead since the opening seconds of the game, going up 59-58 on a Brandin Cummings 3-pointer.

From there, Georgia Tech again threatened to run away with things, crafting a few leads of six points, but Pitt responded, creating an opportunity to win the game late.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, that effort fell just short, as Pitt ends February with a 2-6 record.

“We’re just going to keep our heads, stay disciplined, show up tomorrow and get treatment, be at practice (and) be ready for our next game,” Lowe said. “ … Stay positive, try to finish this regular season off well and then we have the ACC Tournament coming up. This hurts, but it’s basketball.”