Men’s Basketball: Pitt wins first game without Birch

He played just five minutes, but Malcolm Gilbert quickly became a fan favorite on Saturday… He played just five minutes, but Malcolm Gilbert quickly became a fan favorite on Saturday night.

The Pitt men’s basketball team defeated South Carolina State 69-55 at the Petersen Events Center a day after freshman Khem Birch — a McDonald’s All-American — decided to leave the program.

Gilbert played for the first time since seeing the floor for a minute against Long Beach State in Pitt’s third game of the season.

A 6-foot-11 center, Gilbert provided the Panthers with depth inside off the bench in the first half, but didn’t see the floor in the second half. After entering the game to a loud cheer from the crowd, Gilbert finished the game with two points and one rebound.

He ended the first half with a powerful dunk that gave the Panthers a 31-26 advantage at the break.

Pitt struggled for most of the game, pulling away with a 10-3 run in the second half to build a 46-37 lead with 11:24 remaining. The Panthers maintained a comfortable lead for the remainder of the game.

Lamar Patterson scored a career-high 16 points and, after getting off to a slow start, Ashton Gibbs finished with 14 points.

Talib Zanna finished with a double-double, 12 points and 14 rebounds.