Dai Dai Ames scored a career-high 27 points and visiting Virginia pounded Pittsburgh 73-57 on Monday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference upset.
The Cavaliers (11-12, 4-8 ACC) cruised after an early 17-0 run. They shot 56.0 percent from the field, including 45.5 percent (10 of 22) from 3-point distance for just their second road win of the season.
Blake Buchanan had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Andrew Rohde added nine points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Virginia.
The Panthers (14-8, 5-6) never recovered after a sluggish start, falling behind by 20 points in the first half thanks to a seven-minute scoring drought.
Ishmael Leggett had 17 points to pace Pitt, which shot 41.9 percent from the field and 30.0 percent (6 of 20) from deep. No other Panthers scored in double figures.
Pitt entered the night with a 10-2 home record and averaging 86.8 points per game at the Petersen Events Center. Its previous scoring low at home this season came in a 73-65 win over North Carolina on Jan. 28.
The surprising setback dealt a blow to the Panthers’ NCAA Tournament bubble status. They lost for the sixth time in their last eight games.
Virginia took command early with a 17-0 run, capped by Ames’ layup for an 18-4 lead midway through the first half. Pitt was scoreless for 7:11 during that stretch.
The Cavaliers’ largest lead of the half was 30-10 on Ames’ jumper with 4:46 remaining in the half. Their advantage was 34-19 at intermission.
Ames scored 16 before halftime and went into the break with seven field goals (7 of 9) — one more than the Panthers’ entire roster (6 of 20).
Virginia’s lead was 42-23 on Ames’ 3-pointer with 16:36 to play. That gave him 19, eclipsing his previous best of 16 points.
Two free throws by Ames with 7:54 remaining gave the Cavaliers a 60-39 lead. Isaac McKneely’s 3-pointer with 6:35 left was the 200th of his career and put Virginia ahead 63-44.
–Field Level Media
