Hot-shooting Pitt finishes with 81-66 win vs. DePaul
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- J.J. Moore didn't miss a shot and his Pitt teammates were also on target as the Panthers closed their final Big East regular season with an 81-66 victory over DePaul on Saturday.
Pitt (24-7, 12-6) set a school and Big East record by hitting 71.7 percent (33-of-46) of its shots in its fourth straight victory.
"We were making shots, we were looking for each other and we were being unselfish," said Moore, who was 8-for-8 from the field and tied a career high with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. "That was a big part of our game."
Tray Woodall added 18 points for the No. 20 Panthers, bound next year for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The game also could close a 77-year series with the Blue Demons -- at least for now -- as Pitt won its ninth in 11 meetings.
The Panthers broke a record set in the Nov. 9 season opener when they shot 70.8 percent (34-for-48) against Mount St. Mary's.
Pitt is still jockeying with Syracuse and Notre Dame for an unresolved fourth and final bye to next week's Big East quarterfinals at New York's Madison Square Garden.
DePaul's Brandon Young scored a game-high 22 points, Worrel Clahar matched a career high with 19, Cleveland Melvin added 12 and Jamee Crockett 10 in the regular-season and home finale.
"Worrell played one of his best games for us," Blue Demons coach Oliver Purnell said. "He was tenacious and tough out there. Unfortunately defensively we weren't very good the entire afternoon, and you couple that with (the fact that) we didn't do a great job on the boards."
DePaul was outrebounded 27-15 while the Panthers outscored the Blue Demons 38-22 in the paint and had a 21-9 edge on assists.
The loss was the sixth straight for DePaul (11-20, 2-16) and 15th in its last 16 games.
It was also the final Big East home game in DePaul's seven-year association with the Big East, at least in its current configuration. The Blue Demons are set to begin play later this year with six other Catholic programs in a new conference that also could carry the Big East name.
DePaul had one lead in a competitive game early in the opening half. But Pitt dominated in the final seven minutes, using an 11-2 run to open a 41-29 lead with 3:22 remaining. The Panthers preserved a double-digit lead on the way to a 46-35 halftime advantage.
Pitt opened with nine unanswered points, employed five first-half dunks and had a balanced attack with nine players scoring. DePaul's Clahar, playing in his final home game, had a game-high 12 points at intermission.
DePaul crept to within seven early in the second half but got no closer. Pitt maintained double-digit leads through much of the second half, including a 17-point advantage in the late going.
"It was a good way to finish for us. We knew they were going to come after us the whole game," said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. "But you can't complain about (our) shot selection."
NOTES: No. 14 seed DePaul opens Big East tourney play at 9 p.m. Tuesday against 11th seed Rutgers at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Demons finished 15th, but the league tournament is a 14-team playoff with Connecticut ineligible. ... DePaul forward Stuart Pirri got his first start of the season as one of two four-year players saluted on Senior Day. Clahar, starting his seventh game, also made his final home appearance. ... Pitt captured four regular-season and two tournament titles in 11 Big East seasons, tied with Connecticut for most in the same span. The Panthers were also 140-63 with a .690 winning percentage, best of any Big East member during their tenure. ... DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said Purnell will remain as coach despite a third straight losing season.
