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Sunday, January 27, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Pitt Coach Ben Howland doesn't fancy himself as a gambling coach, but he likes to play the percentages.

	Julius Page glides past Georgetown's Wesley Wilson for a second-half dunk yesterday at Fitzgerald Field House. (John Heller, Post-Gazette Photos)

That philosophy paid huge dividends in Pitt's 67-56 victory against Georgetown yesterday before a sellout crowd of 6,798 at Fitzgerald Field House.

Pitt (18-3, 6-2) swept Georgetown (12-7, 3-4) in a regular-season series for the first time since the Panthers joined the Big East Conference in 1982-83.

Howland figured the odds were on Pitt's side if Georgetown took most of its shots from outside rather than pounding the ball inside to Mike Sweetney. It seemed like just a matter of time before the game plan took its toll on the Hoyas.

Pitt's zone did the job.

"I never expected them to shoot 18 percent in the second half," Howland said. "Our guys play hard, whether it's in a zone or man."

The Panthers weathered the hot-shooting Hoyas in the first half and wore down the Hoyas in the second half when those same shots stopped falling. All the while, Sweetney, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound forward was no factor. Sweetney, who averages 19.3 points and 9.8 rebounds, had 6 points and 6 rebounds. He also committed five turnovers, mostly while trying to pass out of Pitt's defensive web.

Without Sweetney's presence underneath, the Hoyas couldn't keep step with the opportunistic Panthers.

	More on Pitt: ... a word from our columnist Bob Smizik Pederson should be taking steps to keep Howland

"They did a good job keeping the ball out of Mike's hands," Georgetown Coach Craig Esherick said. "Some of our shots were good. Some were bad. We did a better job knocking down shots in the first half."

Pitt, looking to jump from No. 25 in USA Today/ESPN and crack The Associated Press poll again when the rankings come out this week, was led by Julius Page's 16 points, Brandin Knight's 10 points, 7 assists and 6 steals, and Jaron Brown's 12 points and 6 steals.

"I'm looking to step up my offense to where I should have been doing it at the beginning of the year," said Page, a 6-3 sophomore who has led the Panthers in scoring with 18, 21 and 16 points in the past three games. "I'm trying to create more shots for myself."

Georgetown's Tony Bethel scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half as the Hoyas held a 35-33 halftime advantage. They made 14 of 24 shots from the field before intermission and only 5 of 28 in the second half.

"They came out hot. They hit their open shots," Page said.

"We didn't have any answers early," Howland said. "They were on fire."

Pitt opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take a 42-37 advantage that continued to expand the rest of the way. The Panthers never let the Hoyas seriously challenge, maintaining a lead that fluctuated around double digits.

"It's no fluke Pitt has won 18 games," Esherick said. "Pitt's the best team in the league. They rebound so well and they shorten the game with their defense. You have to make less mistakes against Pitt. And they have enough shooters to keep you honest on the perimeter."

Two plays into the second half illustrated the kind of game it was for both teams.

Early in the second half with the outcome still a long way away, Georgetown's Gerald Riley slammed his wide-open dunk attempt high off the back rim to the delight of Pitt's fans.

Jaron Brown drives to the basket against Georgetown's Wesley Wilson yesterday.

Moments later, Page dribbled the length of the court with a steal and threw down a rim-rattling, one-handed dunk.

"Turnovers and the missed dunk really rattled us," Esherick said.

Howland's defensive strategy in the first half worked -- sort of.

He was determined not to let Sweetney hurt the Panthers underneath. But by sending two and three players at Sweetney every time he touched the ball, the Panthers gave Georgetown's guards open looks from the perimeter.

Bethel took advantage, hitting 5 of 6 shots from the floor -- 4 of 5 from beyond the arc -- for 13 points to help the Hoyas take a a halftime lead.

Sweetney had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 4 rebounds. He also threw the ball away four times attempting to pass when the Panthers swarmed around him.

Bethel's 3-pointer from the wing gave the Hoyas their biggest lead at 27-17 with 6:50 left before intermission.

"We were shooting the ball well, then we had three or four turnovers that really were unforced when we could have built on the lead," Esherick said. "That was a key time of the game for us."

The Panthers went on a 12-2 spurt capped by Brown's steal and breakaway layup to tie it, 29-29, at 3:56. Chad Johnson's running one-hander down the lane lifted the Panthers to a 33-31 advantage, but Wesley Wilson scored the final four points of the half on a short jumper and two free throws to push Georgetown in front at the break.

The second half belonged to Pitt.

"Our guys feel good about themselves," Howland said. "They should."

NOTES -- Georgetown had a 37-33 edge on the boards to become the second team this season to outrebound Pitt. ... Pitt is 13-1 this season and 24-1 when it holds teams to under 60 points. ... Pitt's Chevon Troutman, a 6-7 redshirt freshman, scored a career-high nine points. He made the three shots he attempted from the field. ... Pitt had 15 assists and 13 turnovers; Georgetown 11 and 18. ... Pitt's next game is Wednesday at Notre Dame. The Irish defeated the Panthers, 56-53, at Fitzgerald Field House three weeks ago.