fbpx

Pitt crushes Louisville behind 41 points from Blake Hinson

Feb 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Panthers forward Blake Hinson (left) goes to the basket against Louisville Cardinals forward Danilo Jovanovich (13) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Blake Hinson scored a career-high 41 points to surpass 1,000 for his career and help lead Pitt to an 86-59 rout of visiting Louisville on Saturday night.

Hinson entered the contest needing a dozen points to reach his career milestone. Hinson scored 27 points in the first half, matching Louisville’s first-half total. Hinson bested his previous career high of 29 points shortly into the second half and finished four points shy of the program’s single-game record, owned by Don Hennon (1957).

Kaleb Glenn had a team-high 17 points for the Cardinals (8-18, 3-12 ACC). Tre White had a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double. Mike James added 13 points and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield 12.

Hinson’s impressive effort helped the Panthers (17-8, 8-6) continue their strong recent stretch, which now includes five straight victories. He finished 14-for-24 from the field, including 9 of 13 from the 3-point line.

His first five points were the anchor of a 9-0 early run that provided Pitt an 11-2 cushion. Over the next three minutes, the Panthers went quiet, allowing Louisville to pull ahead 12-11.

Frustrations showed for Pitt during that Louisville charge, as Panthers coach Jeff Capel was assessed a technical foul after a foul call on Ishmael Leggett.

Hinson’s second of five first-half treys put a stop to that momentum swing, however. The advantage changed another four times before Pitt managed to pry back open a nine-point gap on a 10-0 surge.

Hinson was scorching, shooting 9-for-14 before the midway point, including a 5-for-8 mark from deep. The Panthers owned a 37-27 edge at halftime.

Along with the scoring outburst from its offensive leader, Pitt led 5-0 in offensive boards, 7-0 in second-chance points, and 10-2 in points off turnovers in the first half.

The Panthers steadily climbed and never faced a deficit in the latter stages. Hinson sat on the bench for a spell while his crew maintained the advantage.

Jaland Lowe added 10 points, four rebounds, and five assists for Pitt. Leggett also had 10 points.

–Field Level Media

Mentioned in this article:

More About: