Blake Hinson had 22 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead host Pitt to a 99-82 win over Syracuse in front of a raucous crowd on Senior Night.

The Panthers (21-8, 14-4 ACC) had six players score in double digits, with Nelly Cummings dropping 14 points and 13 assists for his first double-double of the year. Greg Elliott also chipped in 19 points for Pitt.

Benny Williams led Syracuse (16-13, 9-9 ACC) with 24 points and nine rebounds. Joseph Girard III added 19 points and Jesse Edwards contributed 17 points, seven boards and two blocked shots.

The Panthers got out to a hot start, knocking down four of their first six shots to jump out to an early 9-2 lead.

Syracuse battled back on the strength of four straight 3-pointers, including two each from Girard and Williams, to tie the game at 17 midway through the first half.

The two sides traded punches for the remainder of the first period, with Pitt taking a slim 37-33 lead at the break. Girard and Williams combined for 23 of the Orange’s 33 points.

Pitt wasted no time getting the crowd back into the game after the break. Hinson hit two 3-pointers during a 6-1 run to open the half and extend its lead to nine.

After trailing by as many as 15, Syracuse began running a full-court press with about 11 minutes left to play and went on an 8-2 run to trim the deficit to nine.

However, the Panthers responded with a 10-2 run to take lead 88-70 with 4:53 lead.

The Panthers hit 16 of 41 treys (39 percent), compared with 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) for the Orange.

This win, coupled with No.13 Miami’s loss at the buzzer to Florida State on Saturday, gives the Panthers sole possession of the ACC’s top seed with two games left to go.

– Field Level Media