Freshman Roman Siulepa scored a team-high 19 points and Barry Dunning, Jr. added 17, but No. 4/6 Duke pulled away in the second half for a 70-54 victory over Pitt Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt (9-16, 2-10 ACC) battled the Blue Devils (22-2, 11-1 ACC) evenly through much of the first half, taking a 29-28 lead on a Dunning three-pointer with 2:32 remaining before the break. Duke responded with a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 35-29 lead, then never trailed again.
The Blue Devils extended their first-half run to 12–0 to open the second half, pushing the lead to 40–29 and forcing a Pitt timeout. The Panthers answered with a 5-0 spurt, capped by a Siulepa corner three, to trim the deficit to six, but Duke's balanced attack kept Pitt at arm's length the rest of the way.
Dunning was electric in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first half. The senior wing knocked down three three-pointers and added a thunderous fast-break dunk that gave Pitt an early 9-4 lead and forced a Duke timeout.
Siulepa matched Dunning's energy from beyond the arc, connecting on four three-pointers in the game. The Australian freshman also grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists.
Pitt made several pushes in the second half, cutting the deficit to nine on multiple occasions. After Duke extended its lead to 56-42, Damarco Minor knocked down a corner three and Dunning followed with a steal and layup to make it 56-47 with just over five minutes remaining. Duke called timeout and responded with a three-pointer to push the lead back to 12, and the Panthers were unable to get closer than nine the rest of the way.
The Panthers forced 13 Duke turnovers and recorded 11 steals, with Dunning, Omari Witherspoon and Cameron Corhen each collecting multiple takeaways. However, Duke dominated in the paint with a 36-22 advantage and shot 54.9 percent from the field compared to 38.9 percent for Pitt.
Isaiah Evans led Duke with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three-point range. Cameron Boozer recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Caleb Foster added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Corhen finished with six points, three rebounds and three assists. Minor matched that stat line with six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Witherspoon contributed four points and a team-high three steals.
Duke outrebounded Pitt 37-23 on the night, including a 36-22 edge in points in the paint. The Blue Devils also held a 13-2 advantage in bench scoring.
Pitt will face a second consecutive ranked opponent Saturday as the Panthers travel to Chapel Hill to face No. 11/13 North Carolina at 2 p.m.
THE ASYLUM
Siulepa stars in loss to Duke
Freshman Roman Siulepa scored a team-high 19 points and Barry Dunning, Jr. added 17, but No. 4/6 Duke pulled away in the second half for a 70-54 victory over Pitt Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt (9-16, 2-10 ACC) battled the Blue Devils (22-2, 11-1 ACC) evenly through much of the first half, taking a 29-28 lead on a Dunning three-pointer with 2:32 remaining before the break. Duke responded with a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 35-29 lead, then never trailed again.
The Blue Devils extended their first-half run to 12–0 to open the second half, pushing the lead to 40–29 and forcing a Pitt timeout. The Panthers answered with a 5-0 spurt, capped by a Siulepa corner three, to trim the deficit to six, but Duke's balanced attack kept Pitt at arm's length the rest of the way.
Dunning was electric in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first half. The senior wing knocked down three three-pointers and added a thunderous fast-break dunk that gave Pitt an early 9-4 lead and forced a Duke timeout.
Siulepa matched Dunning's energy from beyond the arc, connecting on four three-pointers in the game. The Australian freshman also grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists.
Pitt made several pushes in the second half, cutting the deficit to nine on multiple occasions. After Duke extended its lead to 56-42, Damarco Minor knocked down a corner three and Dunning followed with a steal and layup to make it 56-47 with just over five minutes remaining. Duke called timeout and responded with a three-pointer to push the lead back to 12, and the Panthers were unable to get closer than nine the rest of the way.
The Panthers forced 13 Duke turnovers and recorded 11 steals, with Dunning, Omari Witherspoon and Cameron Corhen each collecting multiple takeaways. However, Duke dominated in the paint with a 36-22 advantage and shot 54.9 percent from the field compared to 38.9 percent for Pitt.
Isaiah Evans led Duke with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three-point range. Cameron Boozer recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Caleb Foster added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Corhen finished with six points, three rebounds and three assists. Minor matched that stat line with six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Witherspoon contributed four points and a team-high three steals.
Duke outrebounded Pitt 37-23 on the night, including a 36-22 edge in points in the paint. The Blue Devils also held a 13-2 advantage in bench scoring.
Pitt will face a second consecutive ranked opponent Saturday as the Panthers travel to Chapel Hill to face No. 11/13 North Carolina at 2 p.m.
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