Pitt
2-0,0-0ACC
Binghamton
0-2,0-0America East
Panthers Ride Strong Second Half to 29-Point Win over Binghamton
11/10/2023 10:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Blake Hinson broke open an eight-point game with an explosive scoring burst early in the second half and Ishmael Leggett posted a double-double to lead Pitt to an 89-60 win over Binghamton Friday evening at the Petersen Events Center. Hinson finished with 26 points, one off his Pitt career high, while Leggett had 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four steals as Pitt improved to 2-0 on the season and extended its Petersen Events Center win streak to eight games.
Carlton Carrington followed up his opening night triple-double with an 18-point, 4-assist effort and Guillermo Diaz Graham came off the bench to contribute 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot.
After a cold-shooting start to the night, Pitt's defense sparked the Panthers to a 7-0 run that pushed the lead to 30-18 with 5:51 left in the half. Leggett had a couple steals and Federiko Federiko thwarted several attempts in the lane to help get the Panthers out in transition.
The Panthers missed their first six shots from beyond the arc before making three of the next four threes to loosen up the floor. Pitt went 8-of-12 (.667) from the field over the final eight minutes of the half to grab a 40-32 lead.
Binghamton stayed connected in the opening half by going 6-of-13 (.462) from beyond the arc. Symir Torrence hit a pair of threes and finished the opening 20 minutes with a team-high 10 points.
Leggett hand his fingerprints all over the first half of the game finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals before the break.
Hinson came out of the half on attack scoring 14 points in the opening 4:38 and Pitt pushed its lead to 68-41 with 13:15 remaining after back-to-back threes by Carrington and a tough and-one jumper the next time down the floor.
The Panthers never looked back leading by as many as 32 in the second half, while holding Binghamton to just 28.1 percent (9-of-32) shooting from the field, including 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from three-point range.
Hinson (16), Carrington (11), and Guillermo Diaz Graham (10) combined for 37 of Pitt's 49 second half points with the trio also combining to go 6-of-8 (.750) from three-point range.
Evan Ashe led Binghamton with 15 points, while Torrence finished with 10 after being held scoreless after intermission.
LEADING THE BREAK
Pitt posted a 22-6 margin in fast break points, including a 17-0 edge in the opening half of play. Leggett was aggressive on the attack consistently getting to the rim and finding open three-point shooters in transition.
BLAKE HIM-SON
After a slow start to the game that saw him miss his first four shots (all three-point attempts), Hinson exploded for 26 points. He finished the game 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-9 from three-point range. Hinson topped the 20-point mark for the 12th time and made three or more threes in a game for the 30th time.
SETTLING IN FROM THREE
Pitt finished 10-of-27 (.370) from three-point range, despite missing its first six attempts and its final three attempts from beyond the arc. Hinson made four consecutive threes, while Carrington (3-of-5) and Guillermo Diaz Graham (2-of-3) also made multiple threes.
BIG ON THE BOARDS
Pitt delivered another strong rebounding effort with a 50-32 edge on the glass. Leggett grabbed 11 boards, while Federiko and Zack Austin finished with nine and six rebounds, respectively. Through two games, Pitt has a +24 rebound margin topping the 50-rebound mark in both contests.
UP NEXT
Pitt has a quick turnaround with Florida Gulf Coast coming to the Petersen Events Center Monday, Nov. 13 for a 7 p.m. tipoff on ACC Network. Monday's contest is the first of three consecutive games against teams out of Florida.
