By MITCHELL NORTHAM, Associated Press

DURHAM, N.C.

Blake Hinson had a stellar performance, scoring 24 points and making all seven of his 3-point attempts, as Pittsburgh defeated No. 7 Duke 80-76 on Saturday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. This was Pittsburgh’s first win at Duke since 1979.

Hinson shot 8-of-10 from the floor and collected a team-high eight rebounds as the Panthers (11-7, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a four-game losing streak against the Blue Devils. Pitt also got 16 points and six assists from Jaland Lowe and 11 points from Ishmael Leggett.

“Our team displayed composure and resilience, we were unified, and individuals stepped up to make crucial plays,” stated Jeff Capel, the coach of Pitt. “We had a strong start and did not shy away from the challenge. We were not intimidated by the setting. I am extremely proud of our team for finding a way to come out on top.”

Duke (13-4, 4-2) suffered a defeat that marked the end of their eight-game winning streak. Jared McCain led the team with 20 points, while Kyle Filipowski and Caleb Foster contributed 19 and 16 points respectively, with Foster also recording six rebounds and five assists.

Pitt got off to a strong start with a powerful slam dunk from Federiko Federiko, giving them a 21-10 lead. Despite Duke’s efforts to catch up, every time they took the lead, Hinson was able to counter. When the Blue Devils briefly took the lead with a layup and free throw from Filipowski at the 6:35 mark, Hinson immediately answered with his seventh successful 3-pointer of the game.

With 1:10 remaining in the game and Duke trailing by only one point, Lowe confidently sank a pull-up 3-pointer despite Filipowski’s defensive pressure. Two successful free throws by Lowe and Hinson in the final 10 seconds secured the victory. As the game ended, Hinson playfully teased the Cameron Crazies by jumping on the press table.

According to Hinson, this is one of the most difficult places to achieve victory in the entire country. He compared it to climbing Mount Everest and finally reaching the top, feeling a sense of accomplishment and respect.

BIG PICTURE

Pittsburgh’s tough performance and Hinson’s impressive play led to the Panthers’ victory over a top-ranked opponent on the road for the first time since Feb. 9, 2013. Hinson was skilled at shooting from long range, but the Panthers also dominated inside, outrebounding Duke by seven and scoring 32 points in the paint compared to Duke’s 18.

Duke: In a chaotic match, Duke had 11 turnovers and 11 assists, highlighting the need for senior guard Jeremy Roach’s consistent contribution on the court. However, Roach was unable to play due to a knee injury. Additionally, sophomore Mark Mitchell, who typically averages 5.6 rebounds per game, was also sidelined with a knee injury. Duke has lost three out of four games due to being outrebounded.

“I was not satisfied with how we began. This is an issue we need to tackle,” stated Duke coach Jon Scheyer. “I would also like to apologize to our fans.”

MORE HISTORY

Hinson made all seven of his 3-point shots, matching an ACC record for the highest shooting percentage from beyond the arc in a single game. He also set a new record for the most 3-pointers made by a player in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Hinson is now in the company of James Collins and Sam Cassell from Florida State and Allerik Freeman from N.C. State as the only players in conference history to make all seven of their attempted 3-point shots.

This was Capel’s first win as a visiting coach at Duke, where he was a player from 1993 to 1997 under the leadership of Mike Krzyzewski.

UP NEXT

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh will play their second away game in a row against Georgia Tech.

Duke will be visiting Louisville on Tuesday.

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College basketball rankings from the AP: Check out the latest top 25 poll at https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and stay updated on college basketball news at https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball.

Source: wralsportsfan.com