No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. South Florida final score: Panthers dominate second half for 64-44 win

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sport

Pittsburgh stayed in the running for a double-bye in the Big East Championship with a win over South Florida Wednesday night at home.

The No. 23 Pittsburgh Panthers won their second straight game, pulling away from South Florida behind a huge second half, 64-44, Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, Pa.

For more on the story, visit Cardiac Hill and Voodoo Five

South Florida led for a good portion of the first half as the teams went back and forth for 30 minutes before a three from Durand Johnson put the Panthers up eight with 13:23 to go. Dante Taylor, meanwhile, joined Johnson off the bench to contribute in a big way. He poured on 12 points and 10 rebounds. Tray Woodall took the high scoring honors for the Panthers with 14 points.

And while Pitt started to roll in the second half, the Bulls could not get anything going offensively. South Florida scored just five points in the first ten minutes of the final frame, allowing the Panthers to stretch their lead.

Victor Rudd had 16 points and seven rebounds to lead the Bulls, but that came on just 7-of-19 shooting. He was also the only player in double figures for South Florida, which got just nine points off its bench.

With the win, Pittsburgh improved to 10-6 in the Big East, and with two games remaining, is still in the running for a double-bye in the Big East Championship. The top four teams in the league automatically advance to the quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden.