Pittsburgh Gets Past Bucknell
11/17/1997 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH - Freshman Ricardo Greer scored 21 points, 13 of which came in the second half, to lead the Pittsburgh Panthers to a season-opening 74-67 win over Bucknell on Monday.
Greer was instrumental in Pittsburgh's 22-5 run to open the second half, scoring 11 points in just under 9 minutes.
Pittsburgh had trailed 39-37 at the half after Bucknell's J.R. Holden hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer from just inside halfcourt. Holden had 16 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 27 points, which included eight down the stretch when Bucknell cut Pitt's lead to four, 66-62, with 1:32 to play.
But Greer answered back with a jump shot 30 seconds later to put the Panthers up 68-62 and essentially end Bucknell's hopes of a comeback.
Bucknell was trying to overcome a tremendous effort by the Panthers' defense. The Bison were forced into 18 turnovers in the first half, 27 for the game, and shot just 32 percent in the second half.
Vonteego Cummings, ill with the flu, played the entire game for Pittsburgh, scoring 20 points, 13 coming in the first half. Jarrett Lockhart, filling in for the injured Kellii Taylor, scored 11 points.