Pitt made it back to their winning ways after dominating inner city rival the Duquesne Dukes by a final score 96-75. The win moves Pitt up to 6-1 on the season while giving the Dukes their second loss of the year.
Recap-
The game started with a rather odd technical foul on Pitt for not registering their lineup 10 minutes before the game. Micah Mason made the free throw and Duquesne actually led 1-0 before the game even started. From there it was all Panthers as they jumped out to a quick 17-2 lead. The advantage only expanded from there as Pitt led 57-30 at the halftime break. The biggest contributor of the first half was senior point guard James Robinson who had 14 points while shooting 4-4 from three.
The second half was a little sluggish to start, but Panthers got it together when they needed to. The Dukes were able to cut the lead down to 18, before Michael Young and company put the finishing touches on the win by taking a 28 point lead with two minutes left to play. When the dust settled Pitt had five players score in double figures. Michael Young lead the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds. However, he was not the only Panther player to record a double double. Sterling Smith had 16 points while hauling in 11 rebounds.
Other players in double figures included Jamel Artis (14), James Robinson (18), and Sheldon Jeter (12).
Positives-
This game looked like a return to form for the Panthers, after a somewhat disappointing showing against Purdue on Tuesday. The offense moved with a purpose and instead of settling for contested jumpers they found good shots. The pay off was evident as Pitt shot over 50% from three and the field. Once again free throws were not a problem, which is always a positive. As well the perimeter defense did a great job of not letting the sharp shooting Micah Mason get easy looks from three. James Robinson deserves the credit for that, since he drew the assignment of guarding Mason. Finally, the big three of Jamel Artis, James Robinson, and Michael Young continue to carry this team. Their play will lead to good things in the near future for the Panthers.
Negatives-
Unlike last game it is hard to find much fault with how the Panthers played. They defended and scored well for the majority of the night en route to a dominant victory. This may be nit picking, but the Panthers did come out a little sluggish to start the second half. As well, Duquesne was able to come up with eight steals so that needs to improve. Overall none of the negatives are killers and that is a good sign moving forward.
Offensive Grade: A
I do not know what to make of this offense. At times they look like absolute world-beaters. In this game they looked like the offense that dismantled Cornell and Kent State and not the one that Purdue bullied. On the night they shot 31-56(55.4%) from the field, 10-19(52.6%) from three, and 24-28(85.7%) at the line. Each one of those numbers are extremely encouraging. For the season Pitt now averages 85.3 points per game on 49.1% from the field, 40.8% from three, and 78.9% at the line. All of those are in the top 32 in the country. Finally, this offense receives such a high grade, because of the vastly improved play of James Robinson. After a rough start to the season he looks like a completely different player. Michael Young of course continued his excellent play and deserves recognition.
Defensive Grade: A
The defense also looked much improved from their loss to Purdue. Instead of getting lost and letting shooters get opened looks Pitt did a great job of contesting perimeter shots. Because of that Duquesne never was able to get into a rhythm. The best example is James Robinsons’ defense on Micah Mason. Mason was constantly run off the three-point line and was held to only 11 points, which was six points lower than where his season average was at. Overall the Dukes were overwhelmed by a great defensive performance and that gives the Panthers this grade.
Coaching Grade: A
Dixon started the game on a low note getting a technical before a second was even played. From there though the Panthers looked well prepared as they dominated throughout the game. After losing the biggest game of their out of conference schedule, the Panthers could of came out sluggish. That was not the case, as Dixon made sure Pitt did not let a losing streak begin. Dixon deserves credit for preparing his team. Also, the move to start Rafael Maia over Alonzo Nelson-Ododa paid off. Maia moved well without the ball, which brought forth a more dynamic offense than Alonzo provides.
Moving Forward-
Up next on the schedule is 1-6 Central Arkansas on Sunday at 12:00 P.M.