After serving a one game suspension for violating team rules, Pitt senior forward Talib Zanna made his 2013-14 season debut Tuesday night and did it with a bang, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, leading the Panthers to a 75-54 win over Fresno State.
Zanna’s big performance was coupled by a big game from guard Cameron Wright, who scored a career-high 13 points to go along with six rebounds.
“My confidence level has gone up a lot,” Wright said. “My teammates set me up on offense. A few times I knocked down some shots. I am also in better shape and that’s the biggest thing that coach emphasizes. He said I have improved.”
Unlike their season opener against Savannah State, a game in which Pitt dominated from the opening tip, this was a close game for much of the first half as the Bulldogs kept things close.
However with the game tied at 15, it was Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon’s decision to switch to a zone defense that made the difference.
Pitt’s zone really stumped the Bulldogs and the Panthers offense got going, reeling off the final 13 points of the half to take a 35-18 lead into the break. The Panthers didn’t slow down in the second half as well as Pitt’s lead never slipped below 15 the final 20 minutes.
“It is something that we would like to be better at,” Dixon said “We have big bodies, some height and pretty good athleticism, which makes us pretty good both playing it defensively and beating it offensively. We knew we were going to play some 2-1-2, which ended up benefitting us and didn’t hurt us because of their lack of size. Offensive rebounding was a key as it allowed us to extend our zone and not worry about giving up second chance opportunities. We got up big and didn’t play as well in the second half. That will happen, we just have to make sure that once we get a lead like that, we continue to push through and not give up.”
The Panthers dominated the Bulldogs undersized lineup, especially on the glass, where they had more defensive rebounds (30) than the Bulldogs had total rebounds (25). In addition to Zanna’s 10 boards, freshman Michael Young grabbed nine.
Zanna and Wright were the only Pitt players in double figures scoring, after six different panthers accomplished the trick in the opener, but nine different Pitt players found a way into the scoring column.
Pitt freshman Jamel Artis looked more comfortable in his second collegiate game, scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds off the bench, while Pitt senior Lamar Patterson dished out seven assists for the second consecutive game.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Paul Watson, who finished with 18.
“This was a good win for our guys tonight,” said Dixon. “I thought Fresno State played really well, despite some match-up disadvantages. I am looking forward to watching them progress as well as watching our own team progress. We hope to be a tough team this season and Fresno State should be a strong team as well. They did do some things really well, but we were able to exploit the things that they didn’t do so well. Obviously Jamel (Artis) and Michael (Young) played tremendously well for us down low tonight.”
The Panthers are off until Sunday when they play host to Howard.
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
