Blake Hinson's historic night propels Pitt over Louisville

Dominant performances from Blake Hinson have not been rare since he joined Pitt as a transfer from Iowa State ahead of last season.

In less than two full seasons, the 6-foot-8 senior firmly has established a reputation for big-time offensive contributions, solid rebounding and being a player who doesn’t often take nights off.

All that said, Saturday during Pitt’s 86-59 beatdown of Louisville at Petersen Events Center, Hinson ascended to a level previously unseen in his own collegiate career and one matched by few in Pitt basketball history.

A crowd of 11,419 got to watch Hinson drop a career-high 41 points against the last-place Cardinals as he went 14 of 24 from the floor, including 9 of 13 from long range.

He scored 48% of the Panthers’ points and hit 45% of the team’s field goals in only the seventh 40-plus-point performance by a Pitt player, the most recent being Jamel Artis in 2017.

Hinson is also the new record-holder for individual points scored by a Pitt basketball player at Petersen Events Center.

He finished five points shy of eclipsing the Panthers (17-8, 8-6 ACC) program record for most points in a single game, set by Don Hennon, who scored 45 in a double-overtime victory over Duke in 1957.

Hinson was on fire by halftime with 27 points.

A 3-pointer early in the second half shattered his previous career-best of 29 points, and another long ball with 2 minutes, 16 seconds left in the game was his ninth on the night, tying a record Hinson set himself.

Following the game, Panthers coach Jeff Capel was effusive in his praise for Hinson, but perhaps the most flattering comment came from Louisville coach Kenny Payne, who was gratuitous even in the immediate aftermath of a 27-point loss.

“When I was in the NBA, I saw guys run off baskets like that: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker — players that get in the zone and no matter what you do, if you’re an inch late, it’s up. He is an elite shooter of the basketball, and he’s an elite scorer.”

Hinson, who additionally went over 1,000 career points in a Panthers uniform in the win, was unaware in real time of the numerous records he was either shattering or approaching.

“I definitely knew I was putting up a lot of points, but I didn’t know I was on any record-breaking streaks,” he said postgame.

Behind Hinson, Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett tied for the second-highest offensive output with 10 points apiece.

Federiko Federiko finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

For Capel, Hinson’s historic night couldn’t have happened to a better player and person.

“First and foremost, (Hinson) has the respect of everyone, all of his teammates — not just respect — they revere him because of the type of guy that he is,” Capel said. “He’s an unbelievable teammate. He’s not a good teammate, he’s an unbelievable teammate.

“ … He wants us to win. He’s grateful, he’s appreciative, he’s someone that’s been a joy for all of us in our basketball program to be around since he stepped foot on campus.”

Early in the game, Pitt and Louisville traded runs, with the score tied 14-14 with 10:42 left before halftime.

Hinson scored 13 of Pitt’s next 15 points and, with four minutes to play before half, he drained a 3-pointer that gave his team its first 10-point lead. The score was 37-27 at the break.

By the second half’s initial media timeout, Pitt’s lead was 13.

From there, the Panthers never looked back.

A Hinson bucket down low stretched the lead to 20 with 12:32 to play, but from that point, another 10:16 went by before Hinson’s next points, the 3-pointer that tied his own mark.

Shortly thereafter, Capel yanked Hinson and several starters, opting to allow a handful of walk-ons to close out the night.

Thus the 67-year-old single-game points record owned by Hennon, whose No. 10 is retired by Pitt, survives for another day and likely much longer.

Hinson and his Pitt teammates, winners of five straight, return to the hardwood Tuesday when they face Wake Forest on the road.