Pitt
5-1,0-0ACC
Oregon State
3-3,0-0Pac-12
Pitt Routs Oregon State, 76-51, in NIT Season Tip-Off
11/24/2023 5:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BROOKLYN – Pitt used a formula of stifling defense, strong rebounding, and balanced scoring to improve to 5-1 on the season with a 76-51 win over Oregon State Friday afternoon at the Barclays Center.
Zack Austin scored a season-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and two steals to lead the Panthers. Blake Hinson overcame an off-shooting game to finish with 17 points, while Ishmael Leggett delivered another stat stuffing effort with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
Austin kick started the offense in the opening half with 10 points on a trio of three-point field goals as the Panthers grabbed an early double-digit lead. Leggett and Jorge Diaz Graham bookended threes during a 16-5 run to give the Panthers a 39-21 edge with 3:33 left in the half.
Pitt went cold from the field over the final three minutes going 0-of-5 from the field, including a 0-of-3 from beyond the arc, as Oregon State closed the halftime gap to 39-27 with a 6-0 run.
The Panthers led by 12 at the break despite shooting just 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from the field and 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from three-point range. Pitt's defense limited the Beavers to under 30 percent shooting in the opening half, including 2-of-15 (.133) from long range.
Hinson helped spark a second half surge with three three-pointers after the break and Federiko Federiko made his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Federiko anchored the Pitt defense throughout and finished the day with 10 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
Pitt held Oregon State without a field goal over the final 4:15 of play as the Beavers were limited to just 17-of-52 (.327) shooting for the game, including a 2-of-21 (.095) effort from three-point range.
Dexter Akanno led the Beavers with 14 points but was just 2-of-7 from the field. Jordan Pope (11) and Tyler Bilodeau (10) also finished in double figures.
SECOND HELPINGS
Pitt converted 17 offensive rebounds into 26 second chance points to help overpower a big Oregon State post rotation. Austin had a pair of tip dunks in the second half to ignite the Pitt faithful and force Oregon State timeouts.
CONTROLLING THE GLASS
The Panthers delivered another dominating performance on the glass with a 44-31 rebounding edge (17-8 on the offensive end). Austin (8) and Leggett (7) led the rebounding efforts, while Federiko and Carlton Carrington each grabbed six rebounds.
JUST FINE AT THE LINE
After getting off to a slow start to the season from the foul line, Pitt posted a strong effort from the charity stripe. The Panthers went a season-best 20-of-24 (.833) from the foul line, including a 4-of-4 effort from Federiko.
UP NEXT
Pitt returns home to host Missouri Tuesday, Nov. 28 in an ACC-SEC Challenge matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30
