Pitt struggled to handle Wisconsin's John Tonje, but Jeff Capel said Panthers learned 'great lesson' in defeat

The consolation game went into triple overtime and the shot clock wasn’t working at the outset. So, the start of the Greenbrier Tipoff championship game in White Sulpher Springs, W.Va., was delayed 75 minutes.

Then, while Pitt was attempting to deal with No. 19 Wisconsin in its most difficult test of the season — with a public address announcer counting down seconds for each first-half possession — lights inside the Greenbrier resort ballroom where the basketball floor was situated occasionally flickered.

Truth be told, Pitt coach Jeff Capel barely noticed those things.

“I thought we handled all the adversity,” he said. “What we didn’t handle was Tonje.”

Capel was referring to Wisconsin’s John Tonje who scored 33 points — 25 in the second half — to help hand Pitt (6-1) its first loss of the season, 81-75 on Sunday night.

Tonje, a sixth-year transfer guard from Missouri, hit 11 of 19 shots from the field and 10 of 10 from the foul line, the latter stat an indication that he was a handful for the Panthers. Such as he was for then-No. 9 Arizona on Nov. 15 when he scored 41 points in Wisconsin’s 103-88 victory.

“He’s a really, really good player” Capel said. “I watched him on tape and I thought he was outstanding on tape. When you play against him, it’s even more impressive, how efficient, how relentless he is.”

Capel was disappointed that Pitt squandered a 14-point lead in the first half, missed what he called some “makeable” shots and allowed 54 points after halftime. But he hopes to use the game as a learning tool.

“I thought our defensive effort in the first half (when Wisconsin scored only 27 points) was outstanding,” Capel said. “We couldn’t sustain it for the second half. Disappointing loss for us, but I’m really, really proud of my team. We got better here in this tournament. This is a great lesson for us early.”

Capel said his team didn’t start the second half with the necessary force.

“We allowed them to climb back into the game and really get into a great rhythm offensively,” he said, painfully aware that Wisconsin shot 60% after halftime (18 of 30). “Their physicality kind of wore us down a little bit.

“I thought we were a little bit tired. We had some great looks and we just missed them. Could that be fatigue? Could be because we played really, really hard. Could just be missed shots. That happens. Our first-half defense was really good, but to give up 54 in the second half is disappointing. We didn’t have the necessary discipline the whole game.”

Senior guard Ishmael Leggett, who was one of three Pitt players in foul trouble in the second half, admitted players didn’t talk as much and, thus, were not “as connected on defense (as necessary).”

“We learned a lot about each other,” Leggett said. “We didn’t come out on top, but there’s a lot more basketball to play.”

Pitt played almost the entire game without senior guard Damian Dunn, who sprained his left ankle and dislocated a thumb with almost 18 minutes left in the first half. The primary defender for Tonje to start the game, Dunn did not return. Capel didn’t know how much time Dunn might miss, but he said Dunn will see a hand specialist back in Pittsburgh.