Pitt arrived at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta on Wednesday night a desperate squad, winless in ACC league play and sitting in 16th place in the conference.
Whether that desperation was channeled into a much-needed victory would depend upon a full team effort by the Panthers.
A team effort is exactly what Pitt got, as the Panthers clobbered Georgia Tech, 89-66, thanks largely to offensive contributions throughout the rotation.
For the second straight game, Brandin Cummings led Pitt, this time with 23 points off the bench.
Nojus Indrusaitis, also offering a spark off the bench, had 16, while Barry Dunning Jr. scored 17 and Cam Corhen dropped 15. Roman Siulepa added 11 with a team-high eight rebounds,
“We got a lot of production from a lot of guys,” Panthers associate coach Tim O’Toole said postgame on 93.7 FM.
The Panthers (8-9, 1-3 ACC) shot the ball well all night, hitting 34 of 64 baskets (53.1%), including 11 of 26 (42.3%) from 3-point range.
Pitt began the contest like a team out to prove something, riding a 10-0 run early on to take a 12-2 lead just over four minutes into the game.
Behind several turnovers by Georgia Tech, three early field goals from Corhen and 3-pointers from Siulepa and Damarco Minor, the Panthers took a 16-5 lead at the 13:50 mark.
Offensively, Minor had a quiet evening, but he dished out seven assists to lead the team.
At the under-12 media timeout, Pitt was in front 18-8, having hit 8 of its first 13 (61.5%) shots.
With 8:59 to go, Indrusaitis, who had failed to hit a single basket to that point during conference play, broke an 0-for-12 streak, hitting a 3-pointer.
Following three free throws from Dunning, who was fouled on a 3-point try, Pitt crafted a 27-15 lead with just over eight minutes left in the half.
With 7:03 to go, the Panthers went up 31-15 when Corhen deposited a layup after a Georgia Tech (10-8, 1-4) turnover in the offensive zone.
Yellow Jackets coach Damon Stoudamire called timeout at the 6:56 mark, with Pitt on top 35-17 courtesy of a Dunning dunk, which came on the heels of the Yellow Jackets’ sixth turnover.
Turnovers were key for Pitt throughout the evening, as the Panthers forced 15, resulting in 17 points.
“The reality was, we were stopping their offense and not giving opportunities,” O’Toole said. “I do think that was from the get-go to the very end and that was one of the big reasons why we won tonight.”
Pitt did not let up as the first half moved toward a conclusion. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Indrusaitis and Cummings made it a 43-24 lead with 2:24 to go.
Halftime saw Pitt up 45-26, the Panthers hitting 17 of 31 shots, including 6 of 10 from long range.
Leading as the second half got underway (a position in which Pitt has been in three of four ACC games), the Panthers kept the pressure on.
At the under-16 media timeout, Pitt was leading 53-32, with Corhen hitting a pair of free throws and a jumper heading into the pause in play.
A few minutes later, the Panthers were up 60-37 on a Cummings 3-pointer.
Cummings, fresh off a 29-point performance vs. Syracuse Saturday, made it 62-39 with a fastbreak dunk to send Pitt into the final under-12 media timeout with a commanding 23-point lead.
With just over nine minutes to play, Georgia Tech got it to within 20, as three straight 3-pointers made it a 68-49 game.
Indrusaitis then drained another 3-pointer, raising his contribution on the night to 16 points, helping the Panthers take a 71-52 advantage with 8:01 left.
Georgia Tech’s minor attempt at a rally fizzled out down the stretch, with the Panthers staying comfortably in front.
The last under-4 media timeout saw Pitt leading again by 19, 77-58.
In the second half, the closest Georgia Tech came was within 16 points. Kam Craft led Georgia Tech with 14 points.
“Boy, we needed everybody’s effort tonight,” O’Toole said.