Pittsburgh has a solid team, Jamel Artis will play a huge role for them this season. “On this floor, the players can’t stop, we can’t stop”. Fellow junior forward Michael Young along with James Robinson give the Panthers a solid group to build around this season and Jamie Dixon should have another team that pushes to be successful in the ACC. Robinson returned to the game before halftime, but conditions only worsened, making elite athletes resemble clumsy kids at an ice skating birthday party.
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The three courts in the Foster Field House historically have been susceptible to slippery conditions due to condensation caused by humidity and rain.
While players on both sides appeared to want to keep playing in order to not disappoint the hundreds of Marines in the bleachers, the decision to err on the side of caution was clearly the correct one. We wished we could have finished this. “We came here obviously for the experience to play a great program in Gonzaga but really for an opportunity to be around the Marines”.
The lead changed hands five times and there were four ties, with the Panthers holding the game’s biggest lead, eight points, 19-11 with 11:41 left in the first half.
Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis, who had suffered a back injury in an exhibition game last week, started the game but played cautiously. “We can’t thank you enough for all you do and all the services you provide for us and our country”. Gonzaga went on a quick run to pull back within, but the court conditions made it hard for either team to play decent basketball. Kyle Wiltjer was the only Zag able to guide the ball into the basket as Gonzaga fell to an early deficit.
At the time of the called game, Pittsburgh led 37-35, but because the game was called before it ended, there is no victor or loser. The key was George King and Dominique Collier, who combined for 27 points and 7-for-13 shooting from three. Pittsburgh made 11 of 14 free throws to Gonzaga’s 3 of 7.
A Panthers team that entered the season with question marks about rebounding held a 16-14 edge on the boards, though the Bulldogs had a 16-8 advantage on points in the paint.
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Pitt returns to action Tuesday, November 17 with a home contest against St. Joseph’s [Ind.] (7 p.m. – ESPN3).
