Men’s Basketball: Team of four Panthers loses at Greentree

On the fourth night of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Summer Pro-Am league at the Greentree… On the fourth night of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Summer Pro-Am league at the Greentree SportsPlex, members of the Pitt basketball team sought to stand out among a group of players from local NCAA Division I basketball programs.

The games played on June 22 featured a comeback fueled by current Panthers and breakout performances by two Pitt underclassmen.

But on June 27, local basketball fans witnessed what was perhaps the most entertaining game of the summer league thus far.

GNC 78, PGT Trucking 73

With a lineup featuring highly-touted incoming Pitt freshman Steven Adams and Pitt redshirt junior Lamar Patterson, few expected PGT Trucking to face much difficulty during the summer league’s regular season.

But even solid performances by Patterson and Adams, who scored 17 and 11 points, respectively, couldn’t overcome a GNC team that hit nine 3-pointers, including four from Duquesne freshman Derrick Colter.

Despite GNC’s hot shooting night, PGT experienced a few opportunities to seize the lead.

After trailing most of the first half, PGT mounted a comeback highlighted by incoming Pitt freshman point guard James Robinson scoring three of his 15 points by drawing a shooting foul after hitting a driving layup.

Pitt junior Trey Zeigler then helped PGT maintain their lead into the second half with a few impressive buckets around the rim.

Zeigler, who transferred from Central Michigan University to Pitt this summer, scored 12 points in the game.  He said he struggled to finish layups, despite his solid numbers.

“I didn’t have that good of a game. My teammates played well. We had a chance to win it, but kind of lost it at the end,” Zeigler said.

GNC reclaimed the lead for good shortly into the second half as a result of hot shooting by Colter, who scored a game-high 21 points.

Adams said he and his teammates continue using the games as learning experiences.

“It’s more of just listening to the team, because if I do something different and the team is doing something of their own, I’m gonna screw up the team,” he said. “I have to learn from them and just get into their system of play.”

SPK Law 71, South Hills Audi 55

In a matchup pitting current Panthers against former Panthers, youth prevailed in the form of a 71-55 victory for SPK Law.

Pitt redshirt junior Talib Zanna scored 11 points and pulled down nine rebounds, displaying an improved shooting ability for SPK, who led throughout the game.

After struggling with the size and skill of PGT in the previous game, SPK produced a dynamic offensive performance against the depleted South Hills Audi, who was missing its leading scorer through three games in Pitt graduate Chevon Troutman.

Zanna said he has used the offseason to improve the mid-range jump shot he showed on June 27. He added that he was disappointed he wasn’t able to utilize the shot against the absent Troutman.

“I wanted to play against Chevy [Troutman] because we always play at school,” Zanna said. “I wanted to play against him because he’s an alum, and he was playing [power forward,] so I wanted to get a little bit of experience against him.”

Pitt sophomore guard John Johnson also added 11 points and three assists in SPK’s victory.

Oliverio’s Peppers 89, Steel City Tickets 44

Entering the offseason, Pitt redshirt freshman Durand Johnson appeared to be destined for a reserve role with Zeigler and redshirt sophomore Cameron Wright ahead of him on Pitt’s depth chart at shooting guard.

But on June 27, Johnson showed his ability by scoring a game-high 23 points for Steel City Tickets in a loss against Oliverio’s Peppers. Johnson added six rebounds, showing off an aggressive offensive style during the game.

Steel City Tickets struggled to contain the veteran West Virginia and Duquesne players on Oliverio’s Peppers, who used strong shooting and a dominant post presence to control the game.

Pitt junior Aron Nwankwo added eight points and four rebounds for Oliverio’s Peppers.

The league will finish its regular season with games on July 9 and July 11.