Panthers Host Murray State in Friday Night Hoops Action

Friday, November 8

Pittsburgh, PA

7 PM

Pitt

Murray State

Tickets

Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics

Panthers Host Murray State in Friday Night Hoops Action

11/7/2024 12:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes ACC Network Extra Live Stats Buy Tickets Now

Pitt (1-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. Murray State (1-0, 0-0 MVC)

Friday, November 8, 2024 • 7:00 PM

Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center

ACC Network Extra • 93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP

Pitt hosts Murray State Friday, Nov. 8 in a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Petersen Events Center. Friday's contest is available to watch on ACC Network Extra with Jason Earle and Nick Rivers calling the action.
Pitt is 1-0 all-time against Murray State with a 70-49 win over the Racers in the 2003 Pittsburgh Holiday Hoops Tournament at the Petersen Events Center. Carl Krauser led the Panthers with 19 points and four assists in the win.
The Panthers return four of its top six scorers from a year ago with the backcourt tandem of Ishmael Leggett (12.3 ppg., 5.5 rpg.) and Jaland Lowe (9.6 ppg., 109 assists) leading the way.
Pitt has three 1,000-point scorers on the roster in Ishamel Leggett (1,345), Damian Dunn (1,299), and Zack Austin (1,116).
The Panthers scored 96 points in the season opener with six different players scoring in double figures. The backcourt tandem of Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett combined for 40 points.
Pitt has won 16 consecutive games and is 39-2 under Jeff Capel when scoring 80 or more points in a game. The Panthers have topped the 80-point mark in four of their past five games at the Petersen Events Center.
The Panthers' four-guard rotation of Brandin Cummings, Damian Dunn, Ishmael Leggett, and Jaland Lowe combined for 62 points, 17 rebounds, 14 assists, and seven steals in the season opening win over Radford. The group went 22-of-38 (.579) from the field and 13-of-15 (.867) from the foul line on the night.

BY THE NUMBERS

Jaland Lowe opened the season with a career-high 21 points in the win over Radford. He has now scored in double figures in 16 of his past 18 games as a Panther.
Senior guard Ishmael Leggett was named Preseason Second Team All-ACC, as selected by the league's media voting panel. Leggett, the reigning ACC Sixth Man of the Year, closed the 2023-24 season averaging 12.3 points, an ACC-guard leading 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He opened the season with a double-double (19/11) in the win over Radford.
Guillermo Diaz Graham looks to build on a strong sophomore season that saw him average 6.7 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. He shot a team-high 40.5 percent (32-of-79) from three-point range, while also adding 28 blocked shots and 27 steals. Diaz Graham posted 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in the season opener.
Incoming transfer Cameron Corhen averaged 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds over 60 games (33 starts), while shooting 58.7 percent (210-of-358) from the field and 73.5 percent (100-of-136) from the foul line in his first two seasons at Florida State. He has scored in double figures 25 times with a career-high 25 points at Pitt last season as a member of the Seminoles.
Zack Austin has 1,116 points, 561 rebounds, 180 blocks, and 158 three-pointers in 97 career games. He is one of 15 players in NCAA history to register at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 150 blocks, and 150 threes in a career.
Damian Dunn, a two-time All-AAC selection at Temple, is averaging 11.8 points per game in 110 career contests (63 starts). He has scored in double figures 64 times with 15 games with 20 or more points and three games with 30 or more points scored in his career.
Amsal Delalic has been sidelined for six weeks with a right hand injury. The 6-8 freshman guard played professionally with Borac Nektar competing in both the Bosnian - Division I and Adriatic Liga 2 from 2021-24. Last season, he scored 483 points and shot 82-of-205 (.400) from three-point range with 25 double-figure scoring efforts in 35 games.
Papa Amadou Kante and Marlon Barnes, Jr. made their Pitt debuts against Radford after redshirting as freshmen a year ago. Amadou Kante, a top 100 recruit in the Class of 2023, had four points, two rebounds, one steal, and a blocked shot in six minutes, while Barnes, Jr. had a rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot in three and a half minutes of action.
Brandin Cummings began his Pitt career with an 11-point, 3-assist effort in the win over Radford. A three-time all-state selection and younger brother of 2023 Pitt standout Nelly Cummings, Cummings posted 2,222 points with 271 three-pointers during his high school career at Lincoln Park in Midland, Pa.
Pitt has five players 6-10 or taller on the roster for the first time in program history. The Panthers are expected to start 6-10 Cameron Corhen and 7-0 Guillermo Diaz Graham in the post.
Pitt made 642 three-point field goals (9.3 3pg.) over that past two seasons. The Panthers' 2024-25 roster has made a combined 497 threes with Zack Austin (158), Ishmael Leggett (124), and Damian Dunn (111) providing 393 of the 497 makes from beyond the arc.
Pitt scored 50 points in the paint in the season opening win over Radford, matching the most in a game under head coach Jeff Capel. The Panthers also scored 50 points in the paint in wins over Central Arkansas and New Orleans during the 2018-19 season.

PANTHER SPOTLIGHT – JALAND LOWE

Jaland Lowe, ranked No. 78 in CBS Sports Top 100 (+1) and No. 84 in ESPN Top 100 players in college basketball entering the season, opened the season with a 21-point, 6-rebound, 6-assist, 3-steal, and no turnover effort against Radford. He is just the second Pitt player to record 20+ points, 6+ rebounds, 6+ assists, 3+ steals and no turnovers in a game. James Robinson delivered 22 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and no turnovers in a 101-96 overtime win against Wake Forest Feb. 16, 2016.
Lowe averaged 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in ACC regular season play last season with 16 of his 17 double-figure scoring games coming against ACC opponents.