Pitt Tops Slippery Rock in Shoot Down Cancer Exhibition Game

Saturday, November 4

Pittsburgh, Pa.

2:00 PM

Pitt

Slippery Rock

Pitt

Pitt Tops Slippery Rock in Shoot Down Cancer Exhibition Game

11/4/2017 5:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Fundraising Effort Presented by UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Nets Over $13,500

PITTSBURGH – Pitt closed out exhibition play Saturday with a 71-59 win over Slippery Rock Saturday at the Petersen Events Center in a Shoot Down Cancer Exhibition game presented by UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Junior newcomer Jared Wilson-Frame paced the Panthers with a game-high 24 points, while freshmen Shamiel Stevenson (16) and Marcus Carr (12) combined for 28 points.

"I would have to say that that was very much what I expected in terms of a jittery, shaky beginning," said head coach Kevin Stallings. "There were four guys on the court who are playing their first Division I college basketball game. I thought our defense dug in after Shamiel's [Stevenson] dunk in the first half. Even when we went in bad stretches on offense, our defense just kept playing, which is really encouraging to see."

The Panthers got off to a slow start, in large part due to foul trouble for big men Ryan Luther and Kene Chukwuka, before settling in. Trailing 18-9 with under 10 minutes remaining in the half, Pitt closed the half on a 24-10 run to take a 33-28 lead into intermission.

Wilson-Frame knocked down three three-pointers and went 4-of-4 from the foul line to score 13 points in the run to close out the half. The junior guard out of Hartford, Conn., finished the first half with 15 points in 15 minutes of play.

The Panthers opened the second half with a 14-2 run to push the lead to 47-30 with 14:47 remaining. Slippery Rock battled back to cut the deficit to single-digits with under five minutes remaining and trimmed it down to four points with 3:45 remaining on a three-point field goal by Micah Till.

Pitt responded with layups from Wilson-Frame and Carr and tightened the defense to force desperation end-of-shot clock threes on consecutive possessions by Slippery Rock. Carr pushed the lead back to 69-59 with a pair of free throws after a steal and full court drive.

The Panthers held The Rock scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting from the field over the final 3:45 of play. In that span, Pitt went 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line to close out the 72-59 win.

Wilson-Frame finished 8-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, and 5-of-6 from the foul line in the win. He started the game 1-of-6 from the field, before going 7-of-8 from the field and scoring 22 of his 24 points in the final 25 minutes of action.

"We definitely had to get some nerves out," said Wilson-Frame. "It's a whole new team playing in front of a crowd who really doesn't know us. Once we got them out though, it was pretty fluid – we felt pretty comfortable."

Stevenson came off the bench to deliver 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds. The 6-6 forward went 4-of-6 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line. Carr posted a strong stat line with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Parker Stewart added eight points and six rebounds.

Till paced Slippery Rock with 15 points, including 13 in the second half of play, while Merdic Green added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Rock posted a 42-41 rebounding edge in the contest and converted 15 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points to keep the game within reach.

With the win Pitt improves to 59-5 all-time in exhibition game play, including a 4-0 mark against Slippery Rock. The Panthers have won 35 consecutive exhibition contests dating back to a 92-90 loss to Marathon Oil Nov. 4, 2000.

Pitt's Shoot Down Cancer efforts helped generate over $13,500 towards pediatric cancer research. Head coach Kevin Stallings donated $1 for every fan in attendance (2,278), while the athletic department contributed $5 for every single-game ticket sold (337). In addition, the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center contributed

The Panthers 18-game regular season home schedule at the Petersen Events Center features nine games against postseason teams from a year ago, including seven contests against NCAA Tournament qualifiers. Pitt will also host four teams – No. 1 Duke, No. 11 West Virginia, No. 13 Miami and No. 16 Louisville – listed in the ESPN Preseason Top 25. The full schedule for the 2017-18 season with dates, times and TV designations is available HERE. The annual City Game with Duquesne at PPG Paints Arena is also a part of Pitt's season ticket package.

Season tickets, mini packages and single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season are on sale now. Great lower level locations are available and can be reserved by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488 or by clicking HERE.

Pitt opens the 2017-18 season Friday, Nov. 10 at Navy in the Veterans Classic (9 pm – CBSSN).