Pitt basketball, led by Blake Hinson and the Oakland Zoo, defeat West Virginia 80-63 in the 2023 Backyard Brawl

In the 190th edition of the Backyard Brawl, Pitt men’s basketball took over WVU Coliseum, sending Mountaineers fans home in defeat. The Panthers beat West Virginia 80-63, ending their two-game losing skid. 

Senior forward Blake Hinson led all scorers with a career-high 29 points and a program-record nine three-pointers.

For redshirt junior forward Will Jeffress, leaving with a win was vital since the last time he traveled to Morgantown it ended in defeat. 

“Coming into this game I just knew I was going to try and give everything I had,” Jeffress said.

The Backyard Brawl started chippy, with an early technical foul call on junior guard Ishmael Leggett. Frustration boiling over isn’t surprising when Pitt and West Virginia matchup. 

Leggett was called for a shooting foul a few possessions later, which earned him a spot on the bench for the rest of the first half.

While Leggett collected his two fouls the Mountaineers claimed an early 6-2 advantage from attacking the paint. The inside attack continued for the Mountaineers when fifth-year center Jesse Edwards had a monstrous dunk over Pitt junior forward Federiko Federiko.

Pitt senior forward Blake Hinson quickly quieted the Mountaineers with a three-pointer, which brought the game to a media timeout with West Virginia leading 8-5.

Off the media timeout, the Mountaineers and Panthers went back-and-forth. Despite not playing a single minute last game, sophomore forward Jorge Diaz Graham, given early playing time, shot early and often. The sophomore forward shot five three-pointers in the first half, only making one of them.

But Jorge Diaz Graham’s poor shooting didn’t affect his twin brother, sophomore forward Guillermo Diaz Graham, who hit a three to bring the Mountaineers’ lead down to one and causing them to use a timeout.

The Panthers came out as strong as they’ve looked all season with Hinson doing what he excels at, shooting deep threes and making the majority of them. Hinson shot three three-pointers before the media timeout at 6:52 remaining in the first half. His only miss was a near-halfcourt logo shot. 

Along with Hinson, first-year guard Carlton “Bub” Carrington hit and converted an and-one three giving the Panthers a 23-17 lead. 

With Pitt taking control, the Mountaineers started to battle their way back making two quick two-point field goals. But first-year guard Jaland Lowe and Carrington refused to let the Mountaineers come back easily.

Lowe hit a step-back mid-range jumper, something Panthers fans have hardly seen from the first-year guard. Carrington followed this up with another three-point field goal, bringing the Panthers lead to 31-24 at the 3:05 mark of the first half.

In the final moments of the first half, the Mountaineers brought the Panthers lead to just one point, with fifth-year forward Quinn Slazinski firing up the Mountaineer crowd multiple times with seven points. Slazinski along with a few of his Mountaineer teammates helped bring the Panthers’ lead to 36-35 heading into halftime.

At the start of the second half, the Panthers showed the Mountaineers basic math, three is more than two. Despite the Mountaineers having four possessions where they scored two points, the Panthers had three possessions where they made a three-point field goal, bringing their lead to 45-43 at the 15:13 mark.

Leggett announced his return to the game after the 15:13 mark. The transfer guard had two straight layups that started to deflate the energy of the Mountaineer Maniacs. The Oakland Zoo made their presence felt. Despite there only being 50 Zoo members who made the trip down to Morgantown, at times they were the loudest section in the entire arena. 

“We definitely showed them love after the game,” Hinson said of the Zoo’s presence in WVU Coliseum. “I hope they know how much we appreciate [them coming down], and we played super hard with them in mind.”

Along with Leggett announcing his return in the second half, Hinson hit his eighth three of the game and the frustrations started boiling over for the Mountaineers.  Fifth-year forward Akok Akok committed a technical foul in his first appearance of the season for the Mountaineers. 

Leggett then made his two technical foul free throws and it was all Panthers after this. Carrington hit a step-back mid-range jumper, Lowe showed off his speed with a layup and the Diaz Graham twins connected for a layup. The Panthers used an extended 24-6 run to take. 

For the rest of the game, the Panthers bullied the Mountaineers causing their fans to empty out the WVU coliseum. 

Carrington continued showing flashes, finishing the night with 16 points, nine assists and four rebounds. As a team, the Panthers finished the night shooting 16-38 beyond the arc. 

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel was proud to see his team perform like this against a rival and how they rebounded from their losing skid.

“I’m just really proud we were able to perform like this,” Capel said. “During this five-game stretch, we learned a lot about our team.”

The Panthers return to action on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. when they face Canisius in the Petersen Events Center.