Pittsburgh Panthers down La Salle Explorers 73-69: NCAA Basketball Recap
After losing to Long Beach State 49ers last week, Pittsburgh Panthers came back strongly and recorded their 3rd win of the NCAA Basketball Tournament 2011 by overcoming La Salle Explorers 73-69 in the game played at
Peterson Events Center.
It was an exciting encounter as both teams managed to stay neck to neck throughout the game. Panthers initiated an onslaught midway through the second half and extended the lead to double figures however Explorers fought back and
took the game to last minute.
Unfortunately, they missed few shots in the end and lost the game by just four points.
Panthers were aggressive and accurate with their three-point shooting and shot 7 for 12 from outside the arc. On the other hand, Explorers only managed to net 4 out of total 16 attempts.
Nasir Robinson led the winning team with 17 points, including 8 for 10 from the floor, and 6 rebounds. Ashton Gibbs also put up an all round performance with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists while Travon Woodall completed a
double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Dante Taylor added another 11 for the Panthers.
For Explorers, Earl Pettis was the most outstanding player and finished with game-high 22 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals. Sam Mills and Devon White also scored 12 points each.
Panthers started with a 6-0 burst but were immediately countered in the next few minutes to make it 6 all. Another impressive 12-2 run however propelled them to a commanding position at 18-8 again.
Explorers were equal to the task though and matched it with a 10-1 spurt of their own to make it 22-24 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the half.
Ashton Gibbs struck gold for Panthers at that point to make it 28-22, but a dunk by Jerrell Wright followed by a layup by Sam Mills ended the half with Panthers leading by 29-26.
The Explorers tried their heart out in early in the second half, but the Panthers managed to stay ahead throughout and the lead reached double figures when Gibbs drilled a three in the 7th minute.
La Salle however stuck to their tasks and finally managed to break down the Panther resistance, tying the game at 52 midway through the second half. Ashton Gibbs and Nasir however again jumped to Panthers’ rescue and combined to
open up a 65-58 with less than 3 minutes remaining. The Explorers got it as close as 68-66 in the ensuing passage but failed to cross the line.
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