Post-Game Notes

Jan. 26, 2008

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PITT-RUTGERS POST-GAME NOTES

*The 13-point loss tied Pitt's largest defeat in the Petersen Events Center; a 66-53 loss last year to Louisville (2/12/07).

*Today's game vs. Rutgers marked Pitt's 100^th all-time contest at the Petersen Events Center. Through its first 100 games at the 12,508 seat Petersen Events Center, Pitt has:

*Accumulated a 91-9 all-time record.

*Amassed a 35-8 record vs. Big East opponents.

*Won 56 of its 57 games against non-conference opponents.

*Won its first 34 games in the building, ranking as the third longest all-time NCAA Division I win streak to open a college basketball arena (51-UCLA, 41-Providence, 34-Pitt's Petersen Events Center).

*Currently won 28 consecutive games vs. non-conference opponents for the second time in the history of the building.

*Defeated its opponents by a 18.46 points per game average (6977-5297, 91 wins)

*Defeated 71 opponents by 10 points or more.

*Defeated 42 opponents by 20 points or more.

*Held 58 of its 100 opponents to 60 points or less and 91 of its 100 opponents to 70 points or less.

*Held 37 of its 43 Big East opponents under 70 points.

*Accumulated an 8-2 record vs. nationally ranked teams and 4-0 record vs. top-5 opponents.

*The loss ended Pitt's 13-game home win streak. The 13-game home win streak from Feb. 17, 2007-Jan. 26, 2008 ranks sixth among Pitt's all-time top streaks.

*Pitt dropped to 11-1 at home this season.

*The loss dropped Jamie Dixon to 49-22 vs. Big East regular season competition. Additionally, Dixon dropped to 121-34 all-time as Pitt's head coach. Dixon now owns a 75-9 home record in his fifth season at the helm.

*Rutgers' 29 made field goals were the third-highest total yielded by the Panthers in the Jamie Dixon era. Notre Dame hit 34 field goals on Jan. 4, 2006 and Miami finished with 33 on Jan. 10, 2004.

*With its victory, Rutgers snapped Pitt's eight-game win streak in the series. The last time Rutgers defeated the Panthers in Pittsburgh was on Feb. 20, 1996, a seven-game losing streak.

*Gilbert Brown posted a career-high 16 points tonight. His previous best was 12 against Mississippi Valley State (11/15/07). Brown also recorded career highs in field goals made (6), field goal attempts (11) and 3-point field goal attempts (6). He tied a career-best with two 3-point field goals.

*Keith Benjamin and Ronald Ramon both tied career highs for minutes played tonight. Benjamin logged 37 minutes, tying his total from the South Florida game earlier this year (1/9/08), while Ramon tallied 38, marking the fourth time this year he has done so (at Cincinnati, 1/19/08; vs. Seton Hall, 1/12/08; vs. Duke, 12/20/07).

*Tyrell Biggs tied a career high for offensive rebounds tonight with five. He grabbed five offensive boards on two other occasions this season (at Dayton, 12/29/07; vs. Toledo, 12/1/07).

*DeJuan Blair's 14 points tonight marked the 14^th time in 20 games that he has had 10 or more points this season. His seven rebounds also marked the 18^th time this season he has had more than five boards. Blair's four assists tonight marked a career high. His previous high was three against Lafayette (1/2/08).

*Yesterday, Pitt celebrated the 20^th anniversary Jerome Lane's backboard shattering dunk. Lane threw down his dunk vs. Providence on January 25, 1988 at Fitzgerald Field House. "Send it in Jerome!" proclaimed ESPN broadcaster Bill Raftery minutes after Lane's thunderous dunk which prompted a 30-minute delay in the game. Pitt went on to claim a 90-56 victory, then went on to capture the 1987-88 Big East regular season title. The game is forever labeled as the "Night the House Came Down."

*To commemorate the 20^th anniversary of the dunk, the game was broadcast on ESPN Classic and featured live interviews with Jerome Lane and announcer Bill Raftery.

*Since losing Levance Fields and Mike Cook, Pitt is 5-3. In those games, Pitt has shot 48.5 percent (222-458) from the floor and 42.9 percent (57-133) from 3-point range.

*Keith Benjamin hit 3-6 3-pointers in the game. He is shooting 54.1 percent from the field (40-74) and 48.9 percent from the 3-point line (21-43) in his last eight games.

*In his eight games since taking over the point guard duties, Ronald Ramon's assist:turnover ratio is an outstanding 3.25 (52 assists, 16 turnovers).

*Pitt's 70 field goal attempts tonight were the third-highest total for the Panthers in the Jamie Dixon era. They put up 92 against Houston Baptist (11/9/07) and 79 against Penn State (12/10/05).

*The 13-point loss marked just the sixth double-digit loss in the 155-game Jamie Dixon Era (2003-08). Those losses include at Dayton (25 points, Dec. 29, 2007), Georgetown (23 points, March 10, 2007), Louisville (13 points, Feb. 12, 2007), at Wisconsin (14 points, Dec. 16, 2006) and at Oklahoma State (12 points, March, 2004).

*Pitt has dropped back-to-back games only five times in Jamie Dixon's five-year head coaching career.