PITTSBURGH – Jacksonville University men's basketball led Pitt in the second half, but a cold spell mid-way through the period pushed the Panthers to a 64-55 win on Tuesday afternoon in the Peterson Events Center.
The Dolphins (7-4) were led by
Kevion Nolan's 22 points, his second 20-plus scoring outing in the last three games.
The game started with some struggles on the offensive end for JU, who went 1-9 from the field to start the contest, getting only a hook shot and a pair of free throws by
Mike Marsh for the first 7:50 of the game. A quick 4-0 spurt brought JU within five, 13-8.
After Pitt extended the lead to 10 with five straight points,
Bryce Workman made a layup, Nolan sank the Dolphins' first three of the game and then hit two free throws to cut it to three again, 18-15.
Both teams slowed down on offense after that, but Jacksonville's defense was better, limiting Pitt to 1-8 shooting to end the half and held the Panthers scoreless for the last 2:29 of the period. JU trailed by just two at the break, 26-24.
The Dolphins had the ball to start the second half, and opened with another Nolan three to take the lead for the first time. The lead grew to four, when Nolan swished another three with 16:35 to play. Pitt countered with two threes of its own to take the lead back and then started to separate.
The Panthers went on a 14-0 run over the next 5:30 to push the lead to 50-35, the largest advantage of the day to that point. It grew to 18 points by the 3:42 mark in the half, and JU pressured late and got it down to seven points with less than 30 seconds to play before Pitt salted it away at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Jacksonville plays one final home game in 2021, welcoming Carver College to Swisher Gymnasium on December 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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