Hinson Explodes for Career-High As Pitt Wins Fifth Straight

by Collin Ferguson

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Panthers have found their stride following an 86-59
victory over the Louisville Cardinals this past Saturday. This victory marks Pitt’s fifth straight
over Louisville, who leads the all-time series 20 games to 10. Still, more importantly, this victory
keeps the Panthers alive in talks for the NCAA tournament in March, keeping them in the bubble
they have just entered. So, what led to Pitt’s massive 27-point takedown of their Atlantic Coast
Conference rivals?

It is impossible to talk about this game without speaking to the elephant in the room. Blake Hinson exited the first half of the game tied in points with the entire Louisville roster at 27, and it didn’t stop there. Hinson finished the game just four points away from tying the all-time Pitt record at 45 (set by Don Hennon in 1957) and tied a record he set in Morgantown, West Virginia earlier this season with nine made three-point shots. Hinson even went as far as to state that he “actually didn’t realize [he] tied the [single game] 3-point record, which is cool.” Hinson’s 41 points set a career-high, and tied him for third place all-time on Pitt’s single-game scoring leader list. He also marked his 1,000th point as a Panther early into the game. However, despite the historic day, Hinson is not the only Panther to credit this victory to. Guards Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett both finished with double-digit points at 10 apiece, and Center Federiko Federiko meant business, dominating the paint with 8 points and 8 rebounds on what was a solid defensive performance. As a whole, Pitt was strong defensively, holding the Louisville bench to nearly no points as an entirety. Furthermore, Pitt ended the game with only three total turnovers, as well as 22 assists. They also sported 36 total rebounds, including 12 on
offense, allowing for multiple second-chance opportunities whilst holding the Cardinals to only two. Pittsburgh was efficient on all parts of the court all game long, and it showed on the scoreboard once the game was completed.

All in all, the Panthers capitalized on a ten-point lead coming into the second half of play, carrying the momentum from their star performers to put up 49 points in the back half, cruising to a much-needed victory as Pitt continues to climb the ranks in the ACC. This win marks Pitt’s fifth straight, the largest win streak in the conference, and also hands the Panthers their 7th win in their last 8 games, placing them in 4th place overall in the ACC.

Pitt hopes to continue this hot streak when they travel to Wake Forest on Tuesday, February 20th. Tip-off will be at 9:00 pm and the game can be found on ESPN.