The stories in the Pittsburgh papers tried to accentuate the positive in Pitt’s blow-the-big-lead-but-then-come-back win.

Pitt was in desperate need of some senior leadership, and Chevon Troutman stepped forward and delivered. Troutman scored 10 of his season-high 23 points in the final five minutes and led the Panthers to a 67-63 comeback victory before 10,103 at the Petersen Events Center.

“He’s done it before, but this one probably tops the list,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said after Pitt outscored the Pirates, 16-5, in the closing minutes to erase a 58-51 deficit.

“He made every big play down the stretch.”
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The frontcourt had free reign because Seton Hall coach Louis Orr decided to concentrate on stopping Pitt’s outside shooters. The Panthers shot just 3 for 10 from 3-point range, but the strategy left Troutman and Taft with single coverage for much of the contest.

That’s an unusual strategy for defending Pitt. Most of the time, teams concentrate on collapsing inside against Pitt. Wish I’d seen the game to see why Troutman and Taft didn’t have even bigger games.

There was also some wierdness going on in the final 11.5 seconds of the game with the clocks.

The clock started when the official handed the ball to Seton Hall for the inbounds play. At least five seconds ran off the clock before the ball was put into play. By the time Andre Sweet attempted a 3-pointer the buzzer had sounded.

Orr was unaware of the mistake at the time but acknowledged afterward that time seemed to go by quickly on the final shot.

“It did didn’t it,” said Orr, who was made aware of the mistake by reporters afterward.

Orr said he was so focused on the play on the court that he didn’t look at the clock.

Dixon didn’t see the clock start early, either, but also acknowledged that time ran off fast. The clock starts when the officials trigger it to start, not the timekeeper who is employed by Pitt.

Not exactly homecooking, so much as a ref who must have wanted time to see the football game perhaps?

Troutman, of course, was the hero for Pitt. He was feeling good after the game:

“I think I’m the best power forward in the country,” the brawny senior said Saturday, moments after carrying the Panthers to a down-to-the-wire, 67-63 victory at Petersen Events Center. “I really believe that.”
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“I felt like it I needed to take over a little there,” said Troutman, who had 15 points in the second half, including 10 in the final five minutes.

He did that and more. The 6-foot-7 bruiser had no intention of letting his team lose on this afternoon, particularly with a chance for the senior class to clinch its 100th victory and with his parents sitting proudly among the crowd of 10,103.

“Sometimes, I have to remind myself to score more,” Troutman said. “And at the end of the game, I knew that’s what I needed to do. The three three-point plays were right there for me, and I had to make sure I finished them off.”

The game was also, the 100th win for this senior class. They need 8 more wins to pass last year’s class for the most wins ever by a class of Pitt players. The win was also Coach Jamie Dixon’s 50th game as head coach. His record is now 43-7.