Syracuse University
PITTSBURGH
Pitt Wins BIG EAST West Division Showdown, 75-63
2/10/2002 3:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, NY - Pittsburgh used a 32-9 second-half run to beat BIG EAST West Division rival Syracuse, 75-63, on Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome.
A Carrier Dome crowd of 21, 935, the second largest of the season, saw the Panthers (21-4, 9-3) sweep the regular-season series against the Orangemen (18-7, 7-4) and move atop the West Division.
Syracuse led by as much as 11 points in the first half and held a 14-point lead, 47-33, in the second half with 13:45 left in the game. The Panthers responded with a 21-3 run, including eight points by Chad Johnson, to take their first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
Pittsburgh extended its spread to nine, 65-56, after a layup by Brandon Knight, who finished the game with a team-high 16 points. Senior forward Preston Shumpert made four free throws to bring the Orangemen within five, 65-60, with 3:08 left in the game.
The Panthers scored 10 of the final 13 points to seal the win. Pittsburgh shot 60.7 percent (17-of 28) in the second half, compared to SU's 8-of-26 shooting (30.8 percent).
Shumpert led all scorers with 28 points and was a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line. Junior Kueth Duany joined him in double figures with 10 points, and DeShaun Williams and Craig Forth chipped in eight tallies each. Williams scored his 1,000 point on his final free throw of the afternoon.
Syracuse returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 17 when it travels to South Bend, Ind. to play Notre Dame at 3:30 p.m.
