As Pitt’s inability to finish close to the rim or convert free throws have remained recurring issues this season, coach Jeff Capel has fluctuated between frustration and exasperation.
On Saturday at Petersen Events Center, when those woes contributed mightily to a 81-72 defeat to N.C. State, Capel’s vexation may have transformed fully into disgust.
One game removed from missing 15 layups and 10 free throws in a three-point loss to Boston College, the Panthers (8-12, 1-6 ACC) missed 11 layups and went 11 of 25 (44%) from the charity stripe in falling to the Wolfpack.
“You’ve got to be able to finish,” Capel said after the loss, Pitt’s sixth in seven games to begin league play. “Normally, the team that finishes, and if you’re able to get to the line and make free throws, you normally have a higher percentage of winning the basketball game. It’s an area we’ve struggled with at times. … It’s kind of been our Achilles’ heel.”
Pitt led by as much as nine in the first half and seven in the second.
With exactly eight minutes to play, the Panthers led 58-54, but after the Wolfpack tied things 20 seconds later, Pitt found itself in a hole that proved insurmountable as N.C. State (14-6, 5-2) overcame a sluggish offensive start to earn a road win.
“I thought we fought,” Capel said. “I thought we put ourselves in position where we had a chance. But the missed free throws are deflating. … We had a lead. When you have a chance to extend leads with free throws and you miss, when you have a chance to cut a run and you miss free throws — we’ve obviously really struggled in that area.
“We got to the line 25 times, but we didn’t capitalize on it. Disappointing. Disappointing loss where we felt like we had a chance but didn’t do enough.”
Roman Siulepa contributed his second straight double-double for the Panthers (15 points, 13 rebounds).
Cam Corhen also had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds), and Damarco Minor added 13 points and Barry Dunning Jr. managed 12 with nine rebounds for Pitt.
Pitt shot 25 of 68 (36.8%) from the floor, compared to the Wolfpack’s 47.3% (26 of 55).
N.C. State was led by Quadir Copeland (20 points), Ven-Allen Lubin (17) and Paul McNeil (15).
Adding an extra serving of disappointment for Pitt was that a season-high 52 rebounds were wasted.
The Panthers, posting a season-best 26 offensive rebounds, scored 24 second-chance points (compared to eight by the Wolfpack).
But it wasn’t enough.
N.C. State made 22 of 27 (81.5%) free throws and generated more than enough late offense to keep Pitt at bay down the stretch.
“Just having the competitive stamina to continue to hold these leads and continue to peak for 40 minutes — that starts with us,” Dunning said. “Coaches gave us a good game plan, we watch film, we know what (N.C. State) was trying to do in the first half and second half.
“We know the type of guys they have. We just have to go out there, execute and have competitive stamina all the way through.”
Pitt began the contest by taking a 5-0 lead, as N.C. State struggled badly in the opening minutes. With 11:13 to go before halftime, the Panthers led 13-4.
N.C. State threatened to take control before the half was over, going up by as much as six, but ended up with a 34-33 lead at the break.
Momentum quickly shifted to Pitt as the second half got underway, with the Panthers going up 42-36 less than three minutes in.
With 12:55 remaining, their lead grew to 52-45.
However, N.C. State narrowed the gap over the ensuing minutes and, with 6:51 to go, the score was tied at 58-58.
From that point, the Panthers were outscored 23-14, which started with an 8-0 Wolfpack run that created a deficit Pitt never erased.
“We’ve got to find a way to dig ourselves out of the hole,” Siulepa said. “It’s not like people are showing up and not putting the work in. We put the work in every day. We come in, we show up, we work on our layups, our free throws, but if we have to work on it more, I guess that’s what we’re going to do.”
