Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Pitt (Exhibition) on October 19, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
Men's Basketball
at Pitt (Exhibition)
2:00 p.m.
Providence College Athletics
Monday, January 31
Pittsburgh, Pa.
9:00 PM
Providence College
66
at
86
Pittsburgh *
Providence Defeated By No. 16 Pittsburgh, 86-66
1/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2005
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH - Chris Taft scored a career-high 25 points and Carl Krauser adeptly ran No. 16 Pittsburgh's fast-breaking offense while playing one of his best defensive games of the season, leading the Panthers to an 86-66 rout of Providence on Monday night.
Krauser had 19 points, nine assists and two steals and helped shut out Friars point guard Dwight Brewington for nearly 32 minutes to help the Panthers win their fifth in six games. Brewington, averaging 18.5 points in his last four games, finished with eight points but didn't score until Pitt (15-3, 5-2 Big East) led 66-45.
Taft, averaging only 12 points over his previous five games, scored more than 20 points for only the third time this season and had 15 rebounds. His previous career high was 24 against Providence last season.
Pitt's 86 points were its most in 13 games since scoring 87 against Duquesne on Dec. 4.
Ryan Gomes scored 24 points, but the Friars (9-11, 0-7) lost their seventh in a row and 10th straight in the Big East dating to last season.
Pittsburgh won its third in a row - with the first two coming over nationally ranked Connecticut and Syracuse - since its worst slump in four years, a string of three losses in five games. All three losses were significant upsets, to Bucknell, Georgetown and St. John's, with the latter loss coming to a team that doesn't have another Big East victory.
Since that slump, Pitt has tightened up what has been one of the nation's top defenses the last three seasons and Krauser has been more under control, no longer forcing shots or dominating the ball in late-game pressure situations.
There weren't any of those in this game, even though Providence was coming off five consecutive losses by five points or fewer. Pitt opened a 5-0 lead and never trailed, pulling out to a 32-22 lead with 4:40 left in the first half by outscoring the Friars 10-3 during a 2{-minute stretch. Taft scored twice from in close, once on an excellent pass by Krauser, and Ronald Ramon make four free throws.
Pitt was the Big East's worst foul-shooting team going into its 76-69 win over then-No. 4 Syracuse on Saturday night, but was 21-of-27 from the foul line that night and was 21-of-24 Monday night.
Taft, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, was expected to be one of the Big East's top inside players this season but has been erratic offensively in conference games, sometimes disappearing for long stretches. He was held to eight points by Syracuse and was limited to 11 or fewer in Pitt's last three games.
But he was much more assertive offensively against a Friars lineup that had no starter taller than 6-9, getting 10 in the first half before dunking several times off Krauser passes as Pitt pulled away throughout the second half.
Providence, now 3-13 at Pittsburgh, never got closer than eight points in the second half and was out of it after Pitt reeled off eight consecutive points to go up 57-41 with 12:49 remaining following Chevon Troutman's three-point play.
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