I hate using this expression, but Saturday was indeed a tale of two halves.

“You can’t spot a good Pittsburgh team 13 points,” said UConn coach Kevin Ollie. “In the second half, guys came out and responded the right way and got in the game. We had the score tied twice, but we couldn’t get a stop in the end.”

With Shabazz Napier (shoulder) rendered ineffective, UConn dug itself a hole and couldn’t seal the deal when it finally tied the game, 55-55.

Pitt’s Tray Woodall hit a 3-pointer, and Ryan Boatright answered with a three-point play on the other end. Panthers freshman James Robinson drilled another longball on the ensuing possession, giving Pitt a 61-58 advantage with 3:43 left. UConn never got any closer.

The loss drops UConn to 12-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big East.

Some notables from Saturday:

*My column: Shabazz Napier wasn’t himself, and no one stepped up as the third scorer. It’s awfully tough to win when only two guys can put the ball in the hoop.

*DeAndre Daniels and Enosch Wolf combined to grab zero rebounds in 34 minutes. Meanwhile, Pitt’s Steven Adams pulled down nine in 20 minutes.

*UConn did not record a single blocked shot. More importantly, the Huskies were outrebounded, 38-27.

*Pitt is set to bolt for the ACC next year, which means Saturday will likely be the last Pitt/UConn clash for quite some time. Unless, of course, the Huskies eventually get an ACC invite.

“I know our AD and our President are going to get us in the right position,” Ollie said. “We believe in their leadership, and we’re going to be in the right spot — soon. Wherever that is, we’re going to have to go out and win conference championships. That’s the only reason I’m here.”

*Interesting stat: If you add points, rebounds and assists, Shabazz Napier was averaging a total of 29.5 over his past six games. Saturday, he had just 13 (eight points, three boards, two helpers). All but one of Napier’s field goal attempts were from 3-point range.

“I couldn’t dribble with my left hand,” Napier said. “…I’m usually able to take contact and get a shot up but I wasn’t able to dribble with my left hand.

*On the bright side: UConn has either tied or taken the lead after trailing by double-digits against Quinnipiac, New Mexico, Marquette and now Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh forward Dante Taylor hit a short jumper in the final minute to extend Pitt’s lead to six and, in turn, help the Panthers stave off UConn’s rally. Behind balanced offense and physical interior play, Pitt held on, 69-61, dropping the Huskies to 12-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big East.

STAR OF THE GAME: Ryan Boatright was anemic in the first half, but electric in the second. After a 1-for-7 start from the field, the 5-foot-10 sophomore finished with a game-high 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. He did, however, convert only 1-of-7 3-point attempts.

KEY TO THE LOSS: UConn shot just 7-for-24 in the first half and no player converted multiple field goals. The Huskies worked the zone more efficiently in the second, but failed on a few defensive rotations that resulted in open jumpshots for Pitt.

*A Boatright reverse layup, plus the foul, cut Pitt’s advantage to 55-50 with 6:20 remaining. Shabazz Napier then hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to trim the lead further and a Niels Giffey steal and dunk tied it at 55.

*Pitt forward Talib Zanna, who entered with just seven points on 1-for-11 shooting in his past two games, scored six in the first five minutes to help the Panthers to an early lead. Lamar Patterson led Pitt with 13.

*Omar Calhoun came through with another solid offense effort, scoring all but three of his 14 points in the second half. The 6-foot-5 freshman was often the beneficiary of Boatright’s penetration.

*Shabazz Napier (shoulder) was limited, tallying just eight points on five field goal attempts. Napier missed a 3-pointer that could have closed the gap to 63-62 in the final minute.

A Lamar Patterson 3-pointer and a Dante Taylor put-back helped Pitt close out the first half on a 5-0 run to open up a 35-22 lead Saturday.

UConn’s Shabazz Napier, clearly not 100 percent (shoulder), scored five points on four shot attempts. As a team, the Huskies were 7-for-24 from the field. Pittsburgh, which switched to a zone defense when point guard Tray Woodall picked up his second foul, controlled the half defensively.

Pitt forward Talib Zanna, who entered with just seven points on 1-for-11 shooting in his past two games, scored six in the first five minutes to help the Panthers to an early lead

Shabazz Napier participated in warmups and appears ready to play this afternoon at Pitt. Napier (left shoulder contusion) seems to be shooting fine. We’ll see how the injury effects him when he penetrates and absorbs contact.

WHEN: Saturday, noon

WHERE: Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh)

RECORDS: UConn 12-4, 2-2 Big East; Pittsburgh 14-4, 2-3

ON THE AIR: ESPN2 (John Saunders and Derek Whittenburg); WTIC-AM 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

UP NEXT: Jan. 27 vs. Rutgers, 2 p.m., XL Center (SNY)

UCONN

Shabazz Napier G 6-0 Jr..: Game-time decision (shoulder)

Ryan Boatright G 5-10 So.: 11 pts, 5 TO vs. Louisville

Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: 20 pts vs. Louisville

DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 So.: Leads team with 4.7 rpg

Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr.: 2 pts, 1 reb in 30 mins vs. Louisville

Enosch Wolf C 7-1 Jr.: 19 mins combined in past 2 games

Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: Already surpassed reb total from last season

R.J. Evans G 6-3 R-Sr.: 4 ppg

Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: DNP in past 2 games

PITTSBURGH

Tray Woodall G 6-0 Sr.: 10.6 ppg, 5.6 apg

James Robinson G 6-3 Fr.: 6.8 ppg, 28 % 3-pointer

Talib Zanna F 6-9 Jr.: 12.1 ppg, 58.7 % FG

Lamar Patterson F 6-5 Jr.: Season-high 22 pts vs. Marquette

J.J. Moore F 6-6 Jr.: 9.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Steven Adams C 7-0 Fr.: Has not topped 10 pts or 10 rebs in Big East play

Dantre Taylor F 6-9 Sr.: Single-digits in all but 2 games

Trey Ziegler G/F 6-5 Jr.: 13 pts, 6 rebs vs. Villanova

STORY LINES

ZANY ZANNA: Talib Zanna, Pitt’s leading scorer, has scored just seven points on 1-for-11 shooting in his past 49 minutes (vs. Marquette and Villanova). Of course, Louisville’s Russ Smith entered Monday’s game in a 4-for-24 slump, too. He quickly snapped out, torching the Huskies for a game-high 23 points.

THE RIVALRY: Over the past 10 years, you could argue that Pittsburgh, with its rough and tumble interior play, has been UConn’s greatest rival. The Panthers bolt for the ACC in 2013, and this could be the last meeting for quite some time.

NEXT MAN UP: With Shabazz Napier less than 100 percent (and potentially out), UConn needs more minutes from Niels Giffey and R.J. Evans. It also needs more offense from Omar Calhoun and DeAndre Daniels. If one of those two doesn’t find a way to score 15 points, the Huskies could be in trouble.