CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior forward
Cameron Corhen scored a team-high 23 points to tie his season high, but Pitt fell to No. 11/13 North Carolina, 79-65, Saturday afternoon at the Dean Smith Center.
Corhen shot 10-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, while adding six rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes. The Allen, Texas, native scored 17 of his points in the first half, including 11 of Pitt's first 13 as the Panthers' frontcourt carried the early offensive load.
The Tar Heels made their first eight shots of the game and jumped out to an 18-8 lead midway through the first half. Corhen kept Pitt within striking distance with his three first-half three-pointers, but North Carolina shot 53 percent in the opening 20 minutes and took a 46-32 lead into halftime.
North Carolina extended its advantage early in the second half, building a game-high 22-point lead at 70-48 with 7:56 remaining. Pitt responded with a 14-6 run, cutting the deficit to 76-62 on a Barry Dunning Jr. three-pointer with three minutes to play, but the Panthers could not get closer than 14 the rest of the way.
Roman Siulepa added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting for Pitt, while Dunning finished with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Nojus Indrusaitis chipped in seven points and three rebounds.
Pitt shot 47 percent from the floor and made 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) three-pointers. The Panthers committed 12 turnovers and were outscored 16-4 in fast break points.
Jarin Stevenson and Seth Trimble led North Carolina with 19 points apiece. Trimble went 9-of-11 from the free throw line, while Stevenson made 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Zayden High added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Luka Bogavac finished with 15 points and four assists.
North Carolina improves to 20-5 overall and 8-4 in ACC play. Pitt falls to 9-17 overall and 2-11 in conference action.
Pitt returns home to face Notre Dame on Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Petersen Events Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network.