Pittsburgh Triumphs Over Notre Dame
In a tightly contested matchup at the Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh triumphed over Notre Dame, edging them 73-68 on Saturday. The Panthers improved their record to 10-17 and 3-11 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Fighting Irish fell to 12-15, also at 3-11 in the conference standing.
Key Performers
The victory marked a significant turnaround for Pittsburgh, snapping a five-game losing streak. Roman Siulepa emerged as a standout performer, scoring 22 points on 70% shooting from the field, including four successful three-pointers. He also contributed significantly on defense with seven rebounds and three steals.
Complementing his efforts, Nojus Indrusaitis achieved a personal best with 17 points, bolstered by a pair of crucial back-to-back three-pointers that helped shift the momentum in the second half.
Game Highlights
Though the Panthers shot 45% overall and connected on 11 of 24 from behind the arc, they struggled in the first half and went into the break with a narrow 23-20 lead. Meanwhile, Notre Dame faced a challenging start, hitting only 2 of 18 from three-point range, and saw no player exceed four points by halftime.
In the latter half of the game, the Irish briefly took the lead thanks to a layup by an unidentified player, making the score 47-46. This, however, was short-lived as Pittsburgh retaliated with a critical scoring run, creating a lead that extended up to 63-52 with mere minutes remaining. Despite a valiant last-minute effort from Notre Dame’s Cole Certa, who contributed seven points late in the game to trim the deficit to three, the Panthers secured the win with steady free-throw shooting.
Scoring Summary
Cole Certa led the Irish in scoring with 16 points, while his teammates Logan Imes and Ryder Frost chipped in with 12 points each, the latter coming off the bench.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, Notre Dame will prepare to host No. 3 Duke on Tuesday, while Pittsburgh is set to face Stanford on the road next Wednesday.
