Basketball: Panthers get win, prep for season opener

Pitt men’s basketball team’s play Monday night resembled returning forward Nasir… Pitt men’s basketball team’s play Monday night resembled returning forward Nasir Robinson’s — it wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.

Robinson returned from his knee injury to play for the first time since last year’s NCAA Tournament in the Panthers’ 76-67 victory over Division II Kentucky Wesleyan College. “It was a good test,” Robinson said in a post-game press conference. “They came out playing hard. We didn’t execute in certain things, so we’re going to learn from this game and get better.”

Head coach Jamie Dixon looked visibly frustrated with his team’s play for much of first half of the team’s last exhibition game. He used two timeouts and frequently substituted his players in and out of the game.

It was Robinson’s play that managed to keep Pitt in the game during its competitive first half. He tallied six points and four rebounds in the 10 minutes that he played of the game’s initial 20.

“I felt good out there,” Robinson said. “I’m not 100 percent yet, but close to it.”

However, Robinson was unable to play in the second half because of a persistent bloody nose after he was hit with an elbow late in the first half.

“He hit his nose yesterday and got hit again in the game, and it just wouldn’t stop,” Dixon said. “It wasn’t your typical bloody nose, let’s put it that way. We were concerned it might happen actually.”

On the last two possessions of the half, Pitt senior guard Ashton Gibbs drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give his team a 42-33 halftime lead. It was the first time Pitt had a significant lead in the contest.

Gibbs then carried the momentum over the break by scoring the first bucket of the second half. From there, his team maintained about a 10-point lead for the remainder of the game.

Since the game was closer than many expected, Pitt fans might have gotten a good idea of what Dixon’s player rotation will look like this season. Ten players, including redshirt freshman guard Cameron Wright and freshmen forwards Khem Birch and Malcolm Gilbert, played more than five minutes.

Birch led Pitt’s freshmen with six points and added four rebounds.

“He played well,” Dixon said of Birch’s performance. “He’s got some good instincts, and he’s responding well to things he’s never seen before. He seems to be picking up some things.”

But it was the performances of Gibbs and Lamar Patterson that really made the difference for Pitt.

Gibbs finished with 20 points in 29 minutes, but even he was outdone by Patterson. The redshirt sophomore played his best game as a Panther on his way to a game-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds.

“Lamar’s been playing really well in practice,” Dixon said. “It’s not a big surprise. We’ve been seeing that. He’s shooting, rebounding and passing well. He’s been one of our best all-around guys.”

“I was hitting shots,” Patterson said. “I’m trying to show Coach I can do whatever he needs me to do and showing my versatility.”

Despite giving up 67 points, Pitt’s defense still managed to hold Kentucky Wesleyan to just 39 percent from the field. The Panthers also out-rebounded their opponents by a 40-to-29 margin.

Pitt doesn’t have to wait long before it begins its regular season. The Panthers will host the Albany Great Danes Friday at 7 p.m. in the Petersen Events Center in the season opener for both teams.

“Seventeen practices, two games, six freshmen — we’ve got to get better,” Dixon said. “We’ve got to get some things done in these next couple days before we go up against Albany.”