Mon Jan 14 21:41:58 2008

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Ramon and Benjamin help No. 15 Pitt down No. 5 Georgetown

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Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin each scored 18 points, as 15th-ranked Pittsburgh downed fifth-ranked Georgetown, 69-60, in a Big East clash at Peterson Events Center.

DeJuan Blair had 15 points and nine rebounds for Pitt (15-2, 3-1 Big East), which avenged its loss to Georgetown in the Big East championship game last season. The Hoyas won that matchup, 65-42, at Madison Square Garden, but the Panthers turned the tables on Monday to extend their home winning streak to 13 games.

Jonathan Wallace scored 14, and Roy Hibbert finished with 12 points and 10 boards for Georgetown (13-2, 3-1), which came into the game the only team left with an unblemished conference record. It was just the Hoyas' second loss to Pitt in the last six matchups.

After holding a one-point lead at halftime, Pitt came out of the break firing on all cylinders, and ripped off an 11-2 run in which Ramon and Benjamin each drained a three.

Meanwhile, the Hoyas got just a jumper from Jeremiah Rivers, and missed four other shots. By the time Sam Young dunked to cap the run less than five minutes into the half, Pitt had established a 38-28 lead, and Georgetown was reeling.

Ramon and Young made back-to-back layups a little over a minute later to put the Panthers ahead 42-30, and Pitt used the cushion to hang on for the win.

The Hoyas almost evened the game on the strength of two fastbreak buckets from Patrick Ewing, Jr. On the second, he stripped the ball for an easy layup, bringing Georgetown within 47-44 with 9:03 left.

But the Panthers answered right back with three-point plays from Blair and Benjamin to put the Panthers up by nine, and re-energize their home crowd. From that point on, Georgetown never got closer than five. In the final 2:07, Pitt made 7-of-8 free throws to seal the win.

Georgetown was hurt by ineffectiveness from three-point territory, making just 3-of-20, despite shooting 44.2 percent for the game. The Hoyas also got to the free throw line just 13 times, making 11.

Meanwhile, Pitt was 6-of-17 from beyond the arc, with Ramon (4-of-6) leading the way. The Panthers shot 41.1 percent for the game, and outrebounded the Hoyas 37-33 -- including 17-10 on the offensive glass.

A low-scoring first half was characterized by lack of offensive rhythm, and trading baskets. A pullup jumper from Ramon with under 10 seconds left gave Pitt a four-point lead. But Wallace made a buzzer-beating three from behind the halfcourt line to bring Georgetown within 27-26 at the break.

Game Notes

Vernon Macklin came off the bench to score 10 points for Georgetown, making all five of his shots...Young finished with nine points and six boards...Pitt was 17-of-26 from the free throw line.