Pitt crushes cross-town Point Park in men’s basketball exhibition

For its first outing since March, Pitt men’s basketball took to the court in an exhibition match against Pittsburgh local Point Park where the Panthers prevailed 93-62. Pitt has never lost an exhibition match at the Petersen Event Center, and that did not change Tuesday night.

With this game behind them, Pitt now has a good foundation to work around before the start of the regular season on Nov. 4 against Radford. 

“For us, it’s to see how we are when the lights come on,” head coach Jeff Capel said in regards to his pre-game expectations. “All the things that we’ve tried to work on at practice, are we doing those things?’”

After the game, head coach Jeff Capel admitted that his new group was “nervous” and had “jitters” coming into this game — a nod to Pitt’s slow first half, after which the team went into the locker room up seven following a lackluster defensive showcase that allowed a mass of Point Park points and a rusty 4-12 long-range shooting performance. Despite this, Capel is not worried about the future of the team’s shot-making ability.

“I thought in the second half our defense picked up because our pressure on the basketball picked up … we were a little bit more aggressive,” Capel said. “We didn’t shoot the ball as well tonight as we have been and I think we will be, and particularly from the three.”

The boys in blue and gold rocked a relatively new look with six new roster additions hitting the court for their first time as Panthers. Junior forward Cameron Corhen was the only newcomer to start the game and did not disappoint in his debut. The new recruit enjoyed the taste of what Pittsburgh has to offer and is ready for his next time out.

“I’m very excited, I got a feel for the Oakland Zoo … I’m excited for this year,” Corhen said.

Capel, who directed Corhen’s transfer from Florida State and recruited him to Pitt for this season, was glad to see his star flourish under a new environment.

“I was really glad to see the rebounding numbers, that is an area where we’ve really challenged him,” Capel said in reference to Corhen’s 11 rebounds and 14 points in his 28 minutes of total play. “I thought he was a terrific player for two years. I think he’s going to be a terrific player for us.”

Familiar faces senior guard Ishmael Leggett and sophomore guard Jaland Lowe each posted strong stat lines. The senior leader had 24 points with five assists and nine rebounds, while the second-year star poured in 22 of his own.

“I think our chemistry is great and we can build off of it. We just kind of have a knack for each other, so I just feel like the chemistry is definitely there,” Leggett said about him and his backcourt teammate.

While the duo is certainly primed to lead this squad, Leggett knows the whole team can fire on all cylinders come the first matchup.

“I really like this group, I feel like we’re connected [and] we can be really good on both ends of the floor,” Leggett said. “I’m ready to take on every aspect of leadership … I’m excited for the journey and I can’t wait to see what this season holds,” Leggett said.