Three Pitt players scored in double figures as the Pitt Panthers basketball team improved to 7-1 on the season with a convincing 84-51 victory over Eastern Washington in the Panthers first game of the Gotham Classic Friday night at the Petersen Events Center.
Michael Young led all scorers with 21 points while Jamel Artis (14) and Chris Jones (11) also finished in double figures for the Panthers.
Pitt got off to a quick start and led throughout, leading by as much as 37 at one point.
Eastern Washington, who made the NCAA Tournament last season, winning the Big Sky Conference, was led in scoring by Austin McBroom with 14.
“Good day today for us,” said Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon. “We did a good job today against a team that can really score the basketball. Offensively I thought we did a lot of things well, especially in the first half.”
Hot Start- The Panthers offense came out firing right from the opening tip. Pitt made its first six shots of the game and ended up shooting 59 percent from the floor in the first half. The Panthers took a 19-point lead into the locker room when Artis followed a Sterling Smith missed shot as the clock expired to give Pitt a 42-23 halftime advantage. Artis and Young each led the team with nine first-half points apiece.
“After four days off we felt rested,” said Young. “We were ready to go today. We had a couple of good practices this week and it carried over to the game.”
Getting Defensive- The Eagles were a much better team than the Central Arkansas team the Panthers faced last time out, but Pitt still had success limiting their opportunities. Eastern Washington shot only 35 percent (9-of-25) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and after closing to within 12 midway through the first half, made only two of their last 10 attempts heading into the locker room.
“We really emphasized defense,” Dixon said. “We set a goal of holding them to 35 percent shooting. They are a 50 percent shooting team on the year and we held them to 37 so I thought we did a good job in that department.”
The Eagles did knock down five first half three-pointers, including three from McBroom, who led all first-half scorers with 11.
“This is my fifth year as a Division one head coach,” said Eastern Washington head coach Jim Hayford. “Last year’s team won 26 games and we made the NCAA Tournament. We have played some really good teams and this Pitt team is the best team I have ever coached against. We were a welterweight fighting a heavyweight tonight. We took one punch and we weren’t knocked out but we laid on the ground thinking we should just grab our purse and leave. They just don’t play hard, they play smart. They all have defined roles and they play them well. Coach Dixon is going to have a really good season with these guys.”
Crashing the Glass- Pitt outrebounded the Eagles 43-22, including holding a 14-5 edge in terms of offensive rebounds. Rafael Maia led all players with 11 rebounds.
“The rebounding was a big emphasis,” Dixon said. “We have to rebound at a higher level so it was good to outrebound them by 21. That was the emphasis this week and we did it. Rafael is so much better than he was early on. He’s more active and has a better understanding of what we want to do. He’s a physical kid and is more athletic than what it appeared early on.”
Pitt will be back in action on Sunday for another game in the Gotham Classic when they play host to Morehead State.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
