Pittsburgh 73, Georgetown 45
WASHINGTON -- Pittsburgh's Talib Zanna scored 15 points, and Tray Woodall added 11 points and eight assists Tuesday in the Panthers' 73-45 win over No. 19 Georgetown in the last Big East regular-season game between the teams.
The Panthers, who are headed to the ACC, led 37-22 at halftime and continued to build their lead in the second half thanks to a strong inside game.
Pittsburgh (13-3, 1-2 Big East) took a 51-34 lead on an offensive rebound and field goal by reserve J.J. Moore (nine points). Lamar Patterson (five points, seven rebounds) tipped in another offensive rebound to make it 53-34 with 8:36 to go.
The Panthers led 64-39 with 4:03 left and cruised to the win against Georgetown, which seemed hesitant to shoot from the outside in key stretches.
The Hoyas (10-3, 0-2) were paced by Otto Porter Jr., who scored nine points. Nate Lubick added seven points and seven rebounds. Georgetown, which shot 36.1 percent (13-for-36) from the floor, was held below 47 points for the third time this season.
Georgetown struggled in the first half to get off high-percentage shots, while Pitt worked the ball inside for several dunks and layups. The Panthers also got big baskets from reserves in the first half.
Pittsburgh took a 14-4 lead on a basket by backup guard Cameron Wright midway through the first half. A dunk and free throw by reserve forward Dante Taylor made it 17-6 a few minutes later.
Georgetown cut the deficit to 19-12, but the Panthers bounced back to lead 28-17 on a dunk by Zanna, who played at Bishop McNamara High School in nearby Prince George's County, Md. Zanna had eight points in the first half.
The Panthers led 37-22 at the break, having recorded 11 assists on 15 field goals. The Pitt bench outscored the Georgetown reserves 17-6 in the first half. The Panthers had a 15-9 rebounding edge, and the Hoyas shot just 37.5 percent in the first 20 minutes.
The Hoyas were coming off a loss at Marquette on Saturday, while Pittsburgh lost the same day at Rutgers.
Pitt has five players who prepped in the Baltimore-Washington area, including freshman guard James Robinson (DeMatha), who scored five points Tuesday.
NOTES: Georgetown lead the series 41-36. The Hoyas are 23-14 at home against the Panthers, with a mark of 4-8 at the Verizon Center. The teams split a pair of games last season, with the Hoyas winning 64-52 in the Big East tournament ... Next up for Georgetown is a game on Saturday at St. John's. Pitt hosts Marquette the same day. ... Sitting courtside were Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
