Pittsburgh 71, Boston College 65

[February 25, 2015]  Pittsburgh 71, Boston College 65: Jamel Artis had 24 points and eight rebounds as the host Panthers survived a dominant performance from the Eagles’ Olivier Hanlan and completed a regular-season sweep.

Michael Young tallied 22 points and nine boards for Pittsburgh (19-10, 8-7 ACC), which tied season highs in free-throw makes (24) and attempts (34) while defeating Boston College for the ninth straight time. Cameron Wright chipped in 10 points, and James Robinson recorded six of the Panthers’ 15 assists on 22 field goals.

Hanlan went 10-of-20 from the field and 5-of-12 beyond the arc to finish with a season-high 39 points for the Eagles (9-18, 1-14), who have dropped nine in a row – their longest skid since a 12-game losing streak in 1999-2000. Aaron Brown poured in 20 points as BC committed 14 turnovers for its highest total in conference play.

Artis and Wright each scored eight points during a 29-10 burst to turn an early four-point deficit into a 15-point lead, but Hanlan capped off his 21-point first half with a 3-pointer to rally the Eagles within 35-30 at the break. Brown came out of intermission with five straight points to wrap up BC's 15-0 run to tie it up before Young halted the Panthers’ five-plus minute scoreless spell with a layup with 17½ minutes left.

Hanlan’s second triple of the second half made it 57-54 with 5:55 remaining before Pittsburgh rattled off eight of the next 10 points and used six straight points – including a fast-break dunk with three minutes to go – to extend its margin to nine with three minutes left. Hanlan scored six points thereafter, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Young and Artis combined for five of the Panthers’ six free throws over the same stretch.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pittsburgh, which doesn’t face another ACC opponent with a league record better than .500, needs only one more victory to secure its 14th straight 20-win season. … Hanlan, who has posted all four of his 30-point games this season over the last six contests, is averaging 28 points in seven February games. … The Panthers’ winning streak in this series is the longest in school history.

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.