Coach L Records 600th Career Win at Pitt

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PITTSBURGH (AP) – Davon Reed scored 18 points, Bruce Brown added 17 and Ja’Quan Newton chipped in 14 as Miami blew out reeling Pittsburgh 72-46 on Saturday.

The Hurricanes (12-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a two-game losing streak by smothering the Panthers. The Hurricanes outrebounded Pitt 37-23 and held Pitt (12-6, 1-4) to just 34 percent shooting (18 of 53).

Jamel Artis led Pitt with 15 points a game after going for a career-high 43 in a loss to Louisville on Wednesday. Chris Jones scored 10 points for the Panthers, who have dropped three straight.

Pitt played without forward Ryan Luther, who sat out with an injured right foot. Senior forward Michael Young played with a mask on his face to protect his right eye. Young missed all 10 of his field goal attempts, his two points coming on a pair of free throws early in the second half.

Miami used a 14-0 run spanning the end of the first half and the beginning of the second to turn a competitive game into a blowout. The Panthers went 9:37 between field goals as Miami’s advantage ballooned from 29-27 to 46-31.

The Hurricanes never came close to giving it up. After some early issues taking care of the ball, Miami effectively picked the Panthers apart defensively. The Hurricanes outscored Pitt 34-20 in the paint and converted Panther turnovers into 19 points at the other end of the floor.

First-year Pitt coach Kevin Stallings ceded things early. Young and Artis — one of the highest-scoring duos in the country — spent the last eight minutes on the bench as things got out of hand.

Postgame Notes

Miami’s starters against Pittsburgh: Ja’Quan Newton, Bruce Brown, Davon Reed, Dewan Huell and Kamari Murphy. 

Miami is now 19-18 all-time against Pittsburgh, and 7-10 on the road against the Panthers. Head Coach Jim Larrañaga is 3-2 all-time against Pitt, and 3-1 at Miami against them.

With the win over Pittsburgh, Coach L earned his 600th career victory, posting a 600-395 mark in 33 seasons as a head coach. With 600 wins, he is one of five ACC coaches with 600 victories, and the other four men are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach L has won 27 games at American International, 170 at Bowling Green, 273 at George Mason and 130 at Miami.

In the 19 games Miami has won in the 37 game series, this afternoon’s 26–point margin of victory is its second-highest against the Panthers. On Feb. 23, 1999, Miami defeated Pittsburgh by 33, 85-52.

With three made 3-pointers, freshman guard Bruce Brown set a season high, while also tying a season-high with 17 points. In the past six games he has knocked down 11 shots from beyond the arc, after only making five in the opening 10 games of his career.

With six rebounds, Brown now has grabbed at least four rebounds in each of the first 16 games.

With 14 points against Pittsburgh, junior point guard Ja’Quan Newton has scored 11-plus points in every game but two.

Senior guard Davon Reed tallied 18 points, six rebounds and five assists against Pittsburgh. He has scored in double digits 13 times this season, including 11 of the last 12 games. He has grabbed five-plus rebounds in eight outings.

Reed has hit at least one shot from long range in every game, with multiple three’s in 12 contests. He has multiple threes in eight straight games. Reed hit four three’s this afternoon. He has also knocked down 25 shots from long range in the past eight games.

Freshman guard DJ Vasiljevic finished his 13th game of the season with a made 3-pointer, finishing the afternoon with six points and two rebounds.