Nike Sibande had a season-high 21 points off the bench and Jamarius Burton added 19 to lead Pitt to a 71-60 win over host Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday at Atlanta.
Sibande shot 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, in addition to grabbing six rebounds. Burton hit 6-of-13 from the field and had three rebounds.
Blake Hinson finished with 13 points and four rebounds, with Nelly Cummings chipping in 11 points and five rebounds for the Panthers.
The Panthers (12-6, 5-2 ACC), who ended a two-game losing skid, shot 24-of-56 (42.9 percent) from the field, including 6-of-20 (30 percent) from 3-point range. Pitt also made 17 of its 20 attempts from the free-throw line.
Georgia Tech (8-9, 1-6), which has dropped three straight games, was led by Deivon Smith, who had a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Dallan Coleman added 13 points, with Rodney Howard finishing with six points and 10 rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets shot 24-of-66 (36.4 percent) from the field, including 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
After Georgia Tech cut Pitt’s 10-point lead to 58-53 following Smith’s 3-pointer with 5:42 left, the teams went scoreless for the next 2:23 before Sibande’s three-point play extended Pitt’s advantage to 61-53 with 3:19 to go.
Burton’s jumper pushed Pitt’s lead to 65-53 with 1:47 remaining.
Pitt controlled most of the first half, leading by as many as six before taking a 38-34 lead at intermission.
Sibande scored 14 points and Burton added 10 in the first 20 minutes for Pitt, which shot 13-of-33 (39.4 percent) from the field before the break, including 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
Georgia Tech was led by Coleman’s 11 first-half points, while Smith added seven.
The Yellow Jackets shot 13-of-35 (37.1 percent) from the field prior to halftime, including 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) from distance.
–Field Level Media