Turnover-Prone Pitt Outlasts Towson 63-59 Behind Parker

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Freshman guard Parker Stewart scored 13 points as Pitt made a late run to beat Towson 63-59 on Friday.

Towson led for almost 28 minutes, but couldn't close late, as Pitt made some key shots down the stretch. Freshman point guard Marcus Carr hit a contested 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 2:18 left to tie the game.

He then drove the lane and fed a pass to Jonathan Milligan, who hit a floating layup to give Pitt a 61-59 lead with 52 seconds left. Milligan and Davis each made a free throw in the last eight seconds to seal the win.

After shooting 1 for 16 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half (6 percent), Pitt hit 6 of 12 in the second half. Stewart was one of the few Panthers to get going in the first half. He had eight of his 13 before the break.

Pitt (8-5) entered the game ranked No. 197 in the country with 14 turnovers per game and increased their average by handing the ball over 21 times. Carr had six turnovers and Towson's press gave the Panthers trouble all night.

Towson (10-3) guard Zane Martin finished with on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor.

BIG PICTURE

Towson: In their second loss of the season at Oakland on Wednesday, the Tigers fell behind during a 16-0 first-half run by the Grizzlies. The Tigers avoided such a run through much of the first half and built a nine-point lead. But the Panthers made a 14-2 run on either side of halftime to turn that nine-point deficit into a three-point lead.

Pitt: Defeated its toughest opponent of the season in the Tigers, who were ranked No. 34 in RPI coming into the game. The Panthers' previous best win was over No. 45 UC Santa Barbara. Pitt is ranked No. 182.

UP NEXT

Towson won't play again they start CAA play with a visit to College of Charleston on Dec. 30. The Tigers will go 27 days without a home game during their current four-game road set.

Pitt also has eight days between games before hosting Miami for their first ACC game of the season on Dec. 30. That game will tip off at 4 p.m.

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