SOUTH
Pittsburgh 63
California 50
PITTSBURGH – Two days ago, Pittsburgh won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1991.
Yesterday, Pitt captured a second NCAA Tournament victory in one year for the first time since 1974.
After marching its way into the Sweet 16 with a convincing 63-50 win over California yesterday in the South Regional second round at Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh believes its potential is unlimited in this special season.
The No. 3 seed Panthers, 29-5 and winners of 13 of their last 15 games, advance to Thursday’s South Regional semifinals in Lexington, where they’ll face Kent State.
Pitt wiped out the Sweet 16 dreams of No. 6 seed Cal (23-9) with suffocating defense, holding the Golden Bears without a point for nearly nine minutes in the second half during a 16-0 run.
That spell turned a 32-28 deficit into a 44-32 Pitt lead that would never be threatened. Cal actually went 11:21 without scoring a single basket.
“Defense has been the staple and key to our success all year,” Pitt coach Ben Howland said. “Our guys love to play good defense because they love to win. . . . This really is a team that embodies what you think of with Pittsburgh – tough, hard-nosed and hard-working.”
The capacity hometown crowd at Mellon Arena, exactly 1.8 miles from the Pitt campus, embraced the Panthers. The arena was loud and raucous in its support – a clear advantage to Pitt.
“It was beautiful to come here and play before our home fans,” Pitt guard Julius Page, the game’s leading scorer with 17 points, said. “It was very loud. The atmosphere was outstanding. It was like a home game for us.”
Pitt certainly helped the mood with its defense, which held Cal to 31-percent shooting from the field and just 4-of-24 from three-point range.
The Panthers, ranked No. 1 in the Big East and 15th in the nation in scoring defense, are 17-1 this season when holding its opponents to fewer than 60 points.
“We take pride in our defense,” Page said. “It’s mental thing. If a team can’t score, they tend to let up on defense and that gives us easy buckets.”
Pitt star guard Brandin Knight, who scored 11 points, dished out seven assists and turned the ball over only once in 39 minutes, said the Panthers’ “will to win” shows in their defense.
“Most teams don’t sacrifice on defense the way we do,” Knight said. “We know if we play hard on defense we’ll always have a chance to win.”
SOUTH REGION
THE SCORES
at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh 63, California 50
STAR OF THE DAY
Julius Page scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He was the key contributor with seven points during a pivotal 16-0 Pitt run in the first half.
STAT’S A FACT
The Golden Bears went more than 11 minutes without a basket, and 15-plus minutes with only one basket.
HE SAID IT
“It’s a team that embodies a Pittsburgher: tough, hard-nosed, hardworking. Our guys love to play defense because our guys like to win. Defense equates to winning, and it’s true in any sport.” – Pitt coach Ben Howland
SWEET 16
at Lexington, Ky., Thursday
Duke vs. Indiana
Kent St. vs. Pitt
