Johnson's 'big-time' plays lead Pitt to 62-57 victory against Miami

Xavier Johnson can smile about it now.

But there was some serious business going on — with one voice raised — between Pitt’s sophomore point guard and his coach late in the Panthers’ 62-57 victory over Miami on Sunday in front of a crowd of 9,759 at Petersen Events Center.

Pitt coach Jeff Capel is well aware of Johnson’s scoring ability. He averaged 15.5 points last season, nearly 12 before Sunday. Even though Johnson had missed 42 of 59 shots (a 28.8% success rate) in the previous six games and improved only marginally in the first half (3 of 10), Capel did the one thing a player most appreciates from his coach:

He showed confidence in him.

After Johnson threw up an air ball, double-clutching on a jump shot with the game on the line late in the second half, Capel made his point.

“Coach was telling me to shoot the ball. He yelled at me,” Johnson said.

You don’t have to ask Johnson twice to do what he loves.

“I said, ‘All right, coach.’ Next thing you know, I just made it. That just gave me confidence.”

Johnson, who scored six points in the game’s first 37 minutes, 35 seconds, recorded seven — a 3 and two 2s — in the next 1:45. That turned a 53-51 Miami edge into a 58-55 Pitt advantage.

Trey McGowens, who led Pitt with 17 points, took it from there, hitting four free throws to ensure the victory. Pitt improved to 14-8 (5-6 in the ACC), and Miami fell to 11-10, 3-8.

Capel was most impressed by Johnson’s last basket, a drive he finished after fighting through contact. That gave Pitt a three-point lead with 40 seconds left. If Johnson missed there, Miami could have won the game with one basket.

“He was decisive,” Capel said. “Those are big-time plays anytime, but especially when you have the afternoon he was having.”

Capel praised Johnson, saying it was important — game-changing, actually — for him “in that moment to forget everything and to be who he is.”

Miami’s zone bothered Pitt, but Miami coach Jim Larranaga, playing without injured guards Chris Lykes and Kam McGusty, used it only to protect his players from foul trouble.

It worked. The Hurricanes went on a 16-6 run early in the second half to erase Pitt’s 33-24 halftime lead.

Meanwhile, Capel was playing without Ryan Murphy, who suffered a concussion Thursday in practice. Murphy’s 3-pointers — he leads the team with 39 — could have loosened Miami’s zone.

“How it bothered us was it got in our head,” Capel said. “Guys lost confidence. We stopped attacking. We played on our heels.

“That’s why that last three minutes were so good. We forgot everything that had happened up to that point, and we focused on that moment and we stepped up and made the necessary plays to win.”

Capel said he encourages his players to shoot. If they take bad shots, he will remind them.

“What I consider a bad shot may not be what someone else considers,” he said, “but I’m the one that matters.

“I don’t want them to be hesitant. It happens in practice where guys will miss a shot or miss a couple, and, all of sudden, they start passing up shots and I stop the practice and tell them to shoot the ball.”

Pitt had no shortage of attempts Sunday, trying 66 — a season high against an ACC opponent — and making 24 (36.4%).

IT’S GOTTA BE THE HAIR! Pitt sophomore Au’Diese Toney addresses why Panthers coach Jeff Capel says he’s playing “bouncier.” pic.twitter.com/Pk4FY6Yf8k

— Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) February 2, 2020

But the Panthers rebounded well, grabbing 17 off the offensive glass, another high mark against the ACC. Au’Diese Toney had his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Capel has been hounding his players all season about rebounding better, and he thought they could take advantage of the Hurricanes, who were 14th in the conference in rebounding margin (minus-5). Pitt made it worse, outrebounding Miami, 40-31.

Pitt was 13th, so Capel believes his team still has a long way to go in that area.

“We haven’t turned the corner, but maybe we put a little bit of an indent in the page.”

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