One thing had stuck out throughout the Pitt Panthers first four games and that is the fact that the Panthers aren’t very good defensively early on in the season.
That showed up again on Tuesday night as Pitt was outmatched in pretty much every way possible, dropping a second-round Maui Invitational game 74-57 to No. 15 San Diego State.
The Aztecs, who came into the game struggling to shoot the ball, shot 58.7 percent from the floor on the night (27-of-46) against the Panthers, which is a telling sign of how they dominated Pitt.
It certainly hasn’t been a good trip to Hawaii for the Panthers, as they appear to have left their defense at baggage claim. Tuesday night was the third time in a row the Panthers opponent shot more than 50 percent from the field and that hasn’t happened to a Pitt team in a very long time.
Trey Kell scored 15 points to lead the Aztecs, who had three guys score in double figures on the night.
The difference in the two teams was evident right away as this San Diego State team showed that they were more athletic, more physical, taller, and deeper right off the bat as they took a 39-25 halftime lead.
Pitt struggled offensively all night, shooting only 37 percent from the floor, making only 5-of-17 shots from 3-point range and were outscored 38-20 in the paint.
James Robinson led Pitt with 17 points and was the only Pitt player in double figures.
Pitt outrebounded SDSU 35-21, including a 17-5 edge on the offensive glass, but it wasn’t enough as they couldn’t stop the Aztecs from knocking down shots at will.
The Panthers face Kansas State in the third-place game Wednesday, while San Diego State gets a shot at its first Maui title against No. 2 Arizona in Wednesday night’s title game.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
