PITTSBURGH — On an evening that Pitt was celebrating this 12 months’s senior class, the Panthers ended up celebrating one other accomplishment by that very same class: first place within the ACC.

Six totally different Panthers — together with seniors Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliott, Nike Sibande, and Jamarius Burton — scored in double figures, as Pitt beat Syracuse 99-82 in entrance of a sold-out Petersen Occasions Heart on Saturday evening.

The senior group did all of it, main Pitt to an ACC-best 14-4 file on the finish of the evening after incomes its second win over the Orange this 12 months.

Pitt honored Sibande — the longest tenured of the senior contributors — with a spot within the beginning lineup on Saturday. The Indianapolis native didn’t disappoint, flying by means of the lane for the dunk of the 12 months, hitting two threes within the second half, and ending with 10 factors within the win.

Cummings delivered an all-around efficiency, scoring 14, doling out 13 assists, and hitting two threes within the win. Elliott shined within the second half, hitting 5 of his six three-point tries within the latter body and ending with 19 factors. Burton turned in a whole efficiency, scoring 14, grabbing 9 rebounds, and passing out eight assists.

Lastly, senior Aidan Fisch delivered a layup within the last seconds to cap off his profession on the Petersen Occasions Heart and ignite the gang one final time for the season.

The senior class, paired with Federiko Federiko’s 14-point, six-rebound efficiency, Blake Hinson’s 22 factors, and Guillermo Diaz-Graham’s huge effort off the bench, trumped the Syracuse 2-3 zone with a three-point barrage and a few well timed inside buckets.

Mid-way by means of the second half, Diaz-Graham miraculously swatted away a Mounir Hima dunk try, Pitt stormed down the ground, and Cummings took it coast to coast to construct the Panther lead as much as 13 with greater than ten minutes to go.

After Syracuse reduce the lead right down to single digits as soon as extra, Pitt ran away with the victory with huge buckets from nearly everybody who checked in.

Pitt caught fireplace out of the gates, igniting the sold-out Petersen Occasions Heart crowd right into a frenzy with a 9-2 run to open play.

Nevertheless, Syracuse’s Joe Girard and Benny Williams made the Panthers pay within the first half, combining for 23 factors. The Panthers’ offense slowed down attributable to its unfamiliarity with the notorious 2-3 zone ran by the Orange, and the sport went into half with a rating of 37-33.

With the win, Pitt advances to 21-8 on the season and 14-4 within the ACC. Miami misplaced to Florida State on Saturday, giving Pitt first place spot within the ACC.

Pitt will now head to South Bend to tackle Notre Dame on Tuesday, March 1 with tip off set for 7 p.m. The Irish are at the moment 10-18 on the 12 months and 2-15 in ACC play.

The Duquesne Girls’s Basketball Staff was trying to actual revenge on a Saint Joseph’s squad which ended its season a yr in the past, however fell brief 64-60 Sunday afternoon at Hagan Area.

Duquesne (18-11/8-8 Atlantic 10) was led by each Valuable Johnson and Tess Myers, every of whom scored 12 factors. Myers made her 2 hundredth profession three-point basket on this recreation.

Megan McConnell grabbed 12 extra rebounds, giving her 287 on the season. That is her sixteenth contest of the marketing campaign with a minimum of 10 rebounds

The Dukes led for 22:11 of recreation motion, in comparison with 8:41 for his or her opponent.

Saint Joseph’s (19-9/9-7 A-10) noticed Talya Brugler lead the lead with 25 factors and eight rebounds. Mackenzie Smith additionally had a sizeable contribution with 23 factors and several other well timed performs. Laura Ziegler grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Hawks trigger.

Duquesne opened this contest on a 7-2 run, with three totally different gamers scoring. Naelle Bernard’s three-point basket, on an Amaya Hamilton move, was the exclamation level on this temporary run.

The quarter featured a number of ties, however every occasion featured a Dukes response. One other Bernard triple left Duquesne in entrance 12-9 as Saint Joseph’s was contained to a 28.6 capturing clip.

After the Hawks once more drew an equalizer from downtown, it was the Dukes matching its first-quarter scoring, with a 7-2 flurry to interrupt out of the tie.

Lauren Wasylson opened the run with a three-point basket, earlier than Duquesne went to the submit for consecutive scores.

Duquesne led by seven with lower than three minutes remaining within the first half when Myers once more related from downtown, however the lead would dwindle to 27-25 at halftime because the Hawks related twice within the remaining 39 seconds.

Each groups had been fairly efficient from the sector within the third quarter, with Smith once more tying this contest, earlier than Townsend transformed an and-one alternative.

Whereas either side once more battled for management, Duquesne had a breakthrough when McConnell discovered Wasylson for a trifecta, giving the Dukes a nine-point edge, its largest of the afternoon.

Saint Joseph’s battled again as its drawback was decreased to 47-44 heading into the ultimate quarter.

There, a scoreless streak which went into impact within the third quarter, reached 5:31. The Hawks took full benefit, to the tune of a 15-2 run, activating a Duquesne timeout. The streak ended when Hamilton related on a hook shot.

Duquesne’s would climb as excessive as 5 factors, however with 49 seconds remaining in regulation, Johnson’s layup had the workforce’s separated by some extent. The potential game-tying free throw was off the mark and on the following Hawks possession, Smith once more transformed, this time on the drive.

The Dukes tried to stay within the recreation however dedicated a turnover, as time ran out.

Duquesne will await its placement within the Atlantic 10 Championships because the convention will launch the total match bracket Saturday evening shortly following the conclusion of the St. Bonaventure-Richmond recreation.

The championship will probably be held in Wilmington’s Chase Fieldhouse for a second consecutive season. Massachusetts received final yr’s occasion and the automated NCAA Event berth which got here with it.

Aidan Fisch started his basketball profession as a die-hard Pitt fan, rising up in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.

After taking part in WPIAL hoops for Franklin Regional in highschool, Fisch enrolled at Pitt and labored his manner into the basketball program to serve the Panthers’ gamers as a supervisor. Nevertheless, being a supervisor was by no means the top purpose.

Pittsburgh Panthers ahead Aidan Fisch (13) February 7, 2023 David Hague/PSN

Fisch excelled in his place and earned respect within the locker room. At 6-foot-6, he was no slouch on the court docket, both. He finally labored his manner as much as a walk-on place with the workforce, changing into a workforce chief in observe and bringing the identical power every recreation to the bench. Following final season, Fisch was honored as one in every of Pitt Athletics’ “Gold Customary Teammates of the Yr” on the Panthers’ Alternative awards.

This yr, head coach Jeff Capel honored Fisch by awarding him a scholarship for his senior yr. The journey from supervisor, to stroll on, to scholarship participant for Pitt was a particular one for Fisch, but it surely didn’t shock anybody across the workforce when the information got here out.

“His voice is actually necessary for us, and he has earned that,” Capel mentioned on Friday, at some point earlier than Fisch’s senior night time. “Everybody is aware of what an unbelievable teammate he’s.”

Fisch will step out on the Petersen Occasions Middle court docket for the final time of his profession on Saturday, as Pitt takes on Syracuse at 5 p.m. in entrance of a sold-out, senior night time crowd.