Talib Zanna dropped 20 points on 9-13 shooting against an undersized Delaware State University to bolster the Pittsburgh Panthers to a 71-43 victory tonight in the Petersen Events Center. Pitt scored 48 of its 71 points in the paint, thanks largely in part to its dynamic duo of big men Zanna and freshman Steven Adams.
Freshman guard James Robinson’s nine assists facilitated the Panthers’ 61.2 percent (30-49) field goal percentage.
J.J. Moore supplied nineteen points and shot 2-2 (100 percent) from the free-throw line.
Adams, the Panthers’ prized recruit out of New Zealand, added eight points and rejected a team-leading four shots.
At 7 ft., 250 lbs., Adams’ presence in the paint forced Delaware State to rely on perimeter shooting to generate much of its offense throughout the night, something they failed to do effectively in the second half.
Delaware State guard Tahj Tate contributed two early three point shots to help keep his team in close contention through the first half.
Delaware State’s three point percentage dropped drastically after halftime, falling from 44.4 percent in the first half to 14.3 percent in the second half.
Pitt led Delaware State 31-27 at the half.
The Panthers leapt out on an 8-0 offensive run in the early minutes of the second half. Zanna contributed six of the eight points in a flurry of consecutive buckets, two of which were dunked with force.
Lamar Patterson added four second half points to bring his game total to nine. His leadership on offense and his ability to handle the ball allowed he and Robinson to feed passes down low to Zanna and Adams late in the second half.
Zanna also showcased ability to run the floor, adding multiple points to the team’s fast break total of 16. His finesse in the key at times perfectly complemented Adams‘ raw physical work on the lower block.
The added force of the two complementary big men down low and the depth of talent at the guard position for Pitt proved too much for Delaware State to stop, and the Panthers cruised to a 71-43 victory.
With the win, Pitt brought its all-time game record in the Petersen Events Center to 173-19.
The Panthers now stand tall atop a seven game winning streak that began with a win against the University of Delaware at the NIT Season Tipoff tournament. Pitt had previously suffered a loss to the University of Michigan, 62-67, earlier on in the tournament.
Zanna and Patterson emerged from the locker room at the second half with a sharper focus, sparking enthusiasm in the rest of the team. Both players contributed important points with their fundamental play.
“That was our adjustment at half time; to be patient,” said Patterson.
He went on to say of the offense, “We’re just driving, and they’ve just got to step up, so we got easy layups, especially when our bigs were hitting shots down low.”
Durand Johnson, a high-potential Freshman swingman, saw limited action in the game due to injury.
“Durand had a hamstring (injury.) He didn’t feel comfortable. He almost didn’t play,” said head coach Jaime Dixon. “We went into today thinking we might only have eight players.”
Dixon seemed pleased with the success the team had in the first half, but expressed distress
“We know we have a long way to go. We have a lot of improvements to make. We have a lot of new guys who are getting better and figuring things out,” said Dixon.
The Panthers’ next opponent will be Kennesaw State University, who lost their last matchup to Big East standout Notre Dame University.
Pitt won’t face a ranked opponent until Dec. 31, when they’ll face the Bearcats of the University of Cincinnati. Pitt’s only previous matchup against a ranked opponent, against Michigan, ended in a loss.
If Johnson continues to develop in terms of health and skill, the Panthers should enter challenging Big East Conference play with a well balanced, fundamentals-based squad built around the talents of a slew of freshmen playmakers, such as Moore, Robinson, Patterson, Zanna and Adams.
