Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers made a big statement Saturday afternoon with a convincing 80-65 victory over Wake Forest in ACC action as the Panthers improved to 15-1 on the season and a perfect 3-0 to start their first season in the ACC.
It was a game that Pitt dominated from the outset as they led wire to wire as unlike their first two conference games, the Panthers jumped on their opponent quickly from the opening tip.
‘That was nice,” said Pitt point guard James Robinson. “N.C. State jumped on us right away and we were pretty much even with Maryland, so it was nice to come out and be the aggressors early and jump on a team.”
And they did it in typical Dixon style by playing extremely unselfish basketball, dominating the glass and playing very tough defensively.
Lamar Patterson (13) and Durand Johnson (nine) combined for 22 first-half points as the duo nearly outscored the Deamon Deacons by themselves as Pitt opened up a 40-26 lead at the break.
Once again Pitt was very efficient at the offensive end of the floor as they shot 50 percent (14-for-28) as a team in the game’s first 20 minutes. Even more impressive was the fact that they limited the Deamon Deacons to only 7-fo-27 (25.9 percent) during that span.
“We had a pretty good scouting report coming into the game,” said Robinson. “We kind of know what they wanted to do offensively and we just attacked them defensively.”
Pitt’s guards played extremely well as they continuously made the extra pass, going from a good shot into a great one. The Panthers ended up assisting on 19-of-26 made field goals on the afternoon.
“It’s definitely a mindset,” said Robinson. “Up and down the roster we are an unselfish team and everyone is a capable passer.”
The Panthers also had a dominant performance on the glass. Senior Talib Zanna grabbed 10 first half rebounds as Pitt held a plus-nine advantage on rebounding at the break, en route to out rebounding Wake Forest 38-28 on the afternoon.
“I like the way we defended and rebounded,” said Dixon. “I wish we would have finished stronger, but I thought Talib and our big guys set the tone early on with the way we defended in the half court.”
The second half saw a little more of the same for the Panthers as Pitt made eight of their first 10 shots coming out of the locker room, eventually upping their lead to 20. The Panthers scored on nine of their first 10 possessions of the half.
Patterson led all scorers with 27 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds.
“I just keep working hard,” said Patterson. “We all have to keep working and keep buying in.”
Zanna also had a big game, finishing with a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Johnson was also in double figures with 11.
Wake Forest was led in scoring by forward Devin Thomas, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.
The win marked the first time that Pitt has started a season 3-0 in league play since the 2010-11 season and it was the sixth time the Panthers have won a game this season in which they led wire to wire.
“Today Pitt was tougher on the boards than we were,” said Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzdelik. “They got more offensive rebounds than we had defensive rebounds. They got loose balls and we didn’t match their toughness.”
The Panthers will be back in action Tuesday night when they travel to take on Georgia Tech.
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire/ USA Today
