The Seminoles keep it close before falling 63-56 to the No. 16 team.
By Associated Press
Published December 23, 2003
PITTSBURGH - On a night in which Florida State found out its freshman class soon might be as good as advertised, Pitt learned its bench might be better than projected.
Mark McCarroll, a seldom-used reserve last season, scored 13 in his second straight strong game, and the No. 16 Panthers dealt the Seminoles their first loss, 63-56 on Monday.
Carl Krauser led Pitt with 17 points and eight assists and didn't commit a turnover. McCarroll scored six during a 10-2 run that started the second half and gave the Panthers a 38-30 lead.
The game essentially served as the final of the Pittsburgh Holiday Hoops Tournament, a six-team exempt event played at campus sites and Pitt. Florida State (10-1) and Pitt (11-0) were predrawn to meet in the final.
"We're not as far along as they are," said FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, who recruited one of the nation's best freshman classes. "They've got quality players and a lot of depth. We'll take this game and learn from it, and we'll be better prepared to face a team like this in the future. I like the progress we're making."
McCarroll, a 6-foot-10 junior, didn't play in nearly half of Pitt's games last season and hadn't scored more than 10 in his career until getting 14 in Saturday's 70-49 victory against Murray State. His playing time has increased substantially with starter Chevon Troutman fighting a groin injury.
Troutman, riding a stationary bicycle behind the Panthers bench to stay loose while out of the game, shook off a scoreless first half to score nine down the stretch and help Pitt open a lead of as many as 10.
But it was Krauser, Brandin Knight's successor at point guard, who was most responsible for ending the Seminoles' 14-game nonconference win streak.
"We had a very difficult time keeping him out of the lane, and probably six of those eight assists were for baskets from point-blank range," Hamilton said of Krauser, the tournament MVP. "He made it tough for us to control him. He probably affected the game more than the statistics say."
Pittsburgh, which has held six of its past seven opponents to 56 points or fewer, moved within one victory of matching the school's best start, 12-0 in 1929-30, and won its 31st in a row at home. The Panthers are 25-0 at home since the Petersen Events Center opened last season.
FSU failed to match a 33-year-old school record of 11 consecutive victories set during the Dave Cowens era despite Tim Pickett's 14 points and freshman Von Wafer's 13.
Nate Johnson added 12 points, and freshman Alexander Johnson was a strong presence inside with seven points. But only one of FSU's three starting inside players, Mike Matthews (two points), scored.
Wafer got the Seminoles within 56-50 with a jumper from the wing with just more than a minute left. But after a Pitt turnover, he missed a jumper that would have cut it to four. Jaron Brown then grabbed a loose ball and scored off a driving layup to get the lead back to eight.
FSU traded leads with Pitt while making 6 of 11 3-pointers during the first half. But it cooled off during the second half, finishing 10-of-25 from 3-point range.
