Dec 29, 2001

Box Score

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Donatas Zavackas scored 19 points and Brandin Knight added 18 as Pittsburgh came on strong in the final 5:30 to defeat St. Francis, NY, 74-61, Saturday.

The Panthers (12-1) held a 50-34 lead with 14:30 left to play in the non-conference game but St. Francis (5-3) pulled to within 64-56 on a free throw by Christopher Sockwell with 6:15 remaining.

That's when Pitt coach Ben Howland called a timeout and when play resumed the Panthers scored six consecutive points on a free throw and layup by Jaron Brown, a free throw by Knight and a jumper from the left side by Zavackas. St. Francis couldn't get any closer than 11 points the rest of the game.

The Panthers were hampered when starting guard Julius Page, the team's third-leading scorer, went down with a left ankle injury at 18:41 of the first half. He returned to the court at 15:45 of the half but the ankle bothered him and he played just five minutes and didn't score.

Sockwell led St. Francis with 22 points and Bronski Dockery added 15.

The win was the seventh in a row for Pitt. The 12-1 start is the best for the Panthers since the 1987-88 season when they finished 24-7 and won the Big East regular season title and played in the NCAA tournament. It was the third consecutive loss for St. Francis, which competes in the Northeast Conference.

Pitt is 53-0 against teams from the Northeast Conference.