Pitt
(1-0)
Youngstown State
(0-1)
Pitt Tops Youngstown State, 69-53, In Season Opener
11/6/2018 9:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Trey McGowens scored 17 points, fellow freshman Xavier Johnson added 16 points, six assists and five rebounds and Pittsburgh opened the Jeff Capel era with a 69-53 victory over Youngstown State on Tuesday night.
Malik Ellison, a transfer from St. John's, scored 13 for Pitt as the Panthers pulled away in the second half to make Capel a winner in his first game as head coach. The Panthers played without senior forward Jared Wilson-Frame, suspended one game for a violation of team rules.
The absence of Wilson-Frame, the leading scorer last season on a team that went winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference, gave Capel a chance to experiment extensively with his lineup. It led to some sloppy play early but Pitt took control with a 12-0 run early in the second half after the Penguins briefly tied the game at 27.
Kendale Hampton had 15 points off the bench for Youngstown State but the Penguins shot just 27 percent (18 of 67) from the field, including 8 of 38 3-pointers.
Youngstown State actually had more turnovers (20) than made baskets. Pitt wasn't much better for long stretches but was never threatened after a Johnson-fueled burst put the Panthers up double digits.
Taking over a program that went winless in the ACC last spring, Capel cautioned it will take time for the Panthers to climb their way back into relevance in arguably the nation's toughest conference. He stressed there are no shortcuts and his starting lineup may have indicated his commitment to a long-term rebuild.
The Panthers started with three freshmen in the opener - Johnson, McGowens and Au'Diese Toney - for the first time in program history, and Capel substituted liberally trying to get a feel for what he has on his hands.
His players, eager to push the program forward, didn't lack for energy but the execution will need improvement. During one 10-second sequence, Johnson missed a dunk, raced back on defense, got the ball back on a miss and instead of flipping the ball ahead to Kene Chukwuka for an easy layup decided to take it himself. When Johnson tried to wrap the ball around his back, he turned it over instead.
Still, Johnson remained in the game, a sign Capel is going to give his players time to figure things out.
BIG PICTURE
Youngstown State: The Penguins are in the midst of a rebuild of their own under second-year coach Jerrod Calhoun. Youngstown State has just four players back from a team that was 8-24 last season. The new group might want to spend more time in the gym shooting after missing an avalanche of open shots against the Panthers.
Pitt: Capel's arrival brings energy and the schedule over the opening weeks isn't exactly daunting. The Panthers don't play a team from a top conference until facing Iowa in three weeks as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. By then, Capel may have some semblance of a rotation.
UP NEXT
Youngstown State: Faces Akron in Cleveland on Saturday as part of the Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Pitt: Welcomes Virginia Military Institute on Friday.
