Pitt staves off Marshall rally
PITTSBURGH — Seemingly comfortably ahead against a team that its own coach likened to playing in mud or perhaps dazed from spending too much time playing video games, Pittsburgh let off the gas.
Marshall and it’s relentless pace almost made the Panthers pay for it.
Jamel Artis and Michael Young scored 30 points each and Pitt needed pretty much every one of them to hold off Marshall 112-106 on Wednesday. Sheldon Jeter added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers (11-2), who let the Thundering Herd (7-6) get as close as five in the final minute after leading by as much as 29 in the second half.
Pitt’s point total matched the program’s highest output since scoring 112 against Youngstown State on Nov. 27, 1993. The problem was the number on the other side of the scoreboard.
“We’re capable of getting big leads and we’re capable of losing them,” Pitt coach Kevin Stallings said. “We don’t tend to lose them and lose games, but we let them creep in and make the coach nervous.”
Jeter admitted the Panthers thought the competitive part game was over when a jumper by Jonathan Mulligan put Pitt up 78-49 with 14:35 to go. That’s probably more than enough against most teams. Not against Marshall. The Thundering Herd push and push and push regardless of the circumstances. Marshall scored 68 points in the second half and drew within 109-104 with 29 seconds to go before free throws by Young and Artis sealed it.
C.J. Burks led the Thundering Herd with 25 points. Stevie Browning and Ryan Taylor finished with 22 each but the Thundering Herd fell to 0-6 on the road. Marshall has lost 28-straight road games against a non-conference opponents.
“It’s just a matter of mental focus,” coach Dan D’Antoni. “We got to get better. We won all our games at home. Some time we’ve got to pack those games in a suitcase.”
Marshall took No. 24 Cincinnati to overtime on Saturday before falling 93-91.
