Holt made all six of his shots in the third game of his career and freshman Robert Johnson added nine assists for Indiana (6-1), which shot 54.1 percent from the floor. Yogi Ferrell had 11 points and four assists and Troy Williams scored 10 for the Hoosiers.
Chris Jones scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half and Josh Newkirk added 16 for Pitt (4-3), which played poorly after coming off its best game of the season, a 70-47 triumph over Kansas State in the Maui Invitational. Michael Young had 13 points and Derrick Randall added 12 rebounds - seven offensive - as the Panthers hung around despite 36.1 percent shooting due to 25 offensive rebounds.
Holt ignited a 14-3 run midway through the first half with a three-point play and Collin Hartman capped it with a 3-pointer to provide Indiana a 36-23 lead. The Panthers stayed in the game thanks to a three-point play and a trio of 3-pointers by Jones, all in a little over two minutes, before Holt provided the Hoosiers with a 45-37 lead with a three-point play in the final 30 seconds.
Hanner Mosquera-Perea dunked and hit a short jumper and Nick Zeisloft nailed a 3-pointer during a 9-2 run that opened a 56-43 lead five minutes into the half, and Holt hit a couple of hoops during a quick 8-0 run that pushed the edge to 21 with 8 1/2 minutes left. Newkirk hit a pair of jumpers during a late 14-3 run to pull Pitt within 12, but Ferrell made a steal and fed Blackmon for a fastbreak dunk and a 77-63 lead with 2:38 to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Hoosiers entered shooting 43.6 percent from the arc and were 7-of-17. … The always defensive-minded Panthers allowed a fourth opponent on the young season to shoot 50 percent from the floor. … Blackmon and Ferrell, who entered averaging a combined 39.5 points and shooting 52.5 percent from beyond the arc, were held to 24 points on 3-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.
Pittsburgh | Indiana | |
Chris Jones 18 | Scoring | Emmitt Holt 15 |
Josh Newkirk 8 | Assists | Robert Johnson 9 |
Derrick Randall 12 | Rebounds | Collin Hartman 7 |
Michael Young 5 | Free Throws Made | Emmitt Holt 3 |
Josh Newkirk 2 | Steals | Troy Williams 2 |
Michael Young 2 | Blocks | Emmitt Holt 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Pittsburgh | 69 | 36.1 | 7-26 | 10-14 | 16 | 41 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
Indiana | 81 | 54.1 | 7-17 | 8-13 | 17 | 35 | 3 | 5 | 9 |