Pitt
Gannon
Pitt Dumps Gannon, 80-50, in Exhibition Play
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Game Notes | Quotes | Photo Gallery | Highlights | Press Conference
PITTSBURGH -- Pitt overcame a slow shooting start from the field to post an 80-50 win over Gannon Friday evening at the Petersen Events Center in its final tuneup before the season opener Friday, Nov. 13 against No. 9 Gonzaga in the Armed Forces Classic in Okinawa, Japan. Jamel Artis, Cameron Johnson and James Robinson each tallied 13 points in the win as all 14 Panthers to play scored in the contest.
"It was great to see our fans and great to see the Zoo out," said head coach Jamie Dixon. "It was exciting. A lot of new faces and I thought they all did well."
A strong defensive effort kept the game tight in the early going as Pitt went just 1-of-10 from the field early on. The Panthers fell behind 7-6 on a C.J. Asuncion-Byrd three-point field goal before settling in. A 6-0 run gave Pitt a 13-7 lead before the Golden Knights cut the deficit in half on a three-point play from Ian Gardener.
Pitt responded with 16-0 run over the next six minutes to take over the contest as the veteran trio of Robinson, Artis and Michael Young combined for 14 points during that span. The Panthers built on the lead in the closing minutes of the half to enter intermission with a 35-14 advantage.
Gannon hit a pair of three-pointers early in the second half to cut the deficit to 15 points before Pitt countered with some outstanding deep shooting of its own to push its lead back over 20. Artis hit a deep two off a down screen, while Robinson and Sterling Smith followed with three-pointers on the ensuing possessions to give the Panthers a 48-27 edge at the 14:28 mark.
Pitt extended its lead over the next five minutes as Sheldon Jeter had a pair of free throws to go along with a highlight reel dunk in transition and Johnson added three free throws and a three-point field goal. Johnson's free throws at the 9:31 mark gave the Panthers their largest lead of the night at 64-31.
Gannon never got closer than 25 points the remainder of the night as Pitt continued to get production throughout the roster. Walk-ons Mike Lecak and Ryan Seelye got into the action in the closing minutes with a pair of free throws and a three-point field goal, respectively. Pitt's bench outscored the opposition, 47-5, on the night.
"We have had a good amount of time together so far," said Robinson. "I don't think anyone is at their highest point yet, but we are working hard as a team. We're headed in the right direction. We still have some things to buckle down on, but we're definitely heading there."
The Panthers turned in a solid defensive effort on the night, limiting Gannon to 32.7 percent shooting (18-of-55), while forcing 17 turnovers.
Pitt recovered from the slow start to shoot 44.9 percent from the field. The team also did an outstanding job of getting to the line, closing the night 29-of-39 (.744) from the free throw line.
Dixon improved to 25-0 all-time in exhibition play. Pitt has now won 33 consecutive exhibition games, including all 27 that have been played at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt now embarks on an 8,000+ mile journey to Okinawa, Japan for its season opener against Gonzaga Nov. 13.
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