The Panthers’ 74-59 win on Monday night against Youngstown State was not pretty, but they found a way to get the job done. Pitt used its size to gain 18 points off of second-chance opportunities and showed it is willing to embrace a gritty play style to get results.
Big guys came to play
Senior forward Cameron Corhen showed why he will serve as a veteran leader for the Panthers this season. Corhen played 35 minutes in the win and led the Panthers with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Corhen’s consistent presence was a source of comfort for the Panthers as they looked disjointed on offense in the early going.
Redshirt sophomore forward Papa Amadou Kante was also impressive. In his 35 minutes of action, he grabbed 10 rebounds. Kante moved his feet against shifty Youngstown State players and showed that he can guard any player on the court, which adds a dimension to Pitt’s defense.
First game jitters
First-year guard Omari Witherspoon and first-year forward Roman Siulepa played tentatively in their first regular-season game. Both still found ways to contribute despite a rocky start. Witherspoon hit a tough mid-range jumper and Siuepa had a highlight-worthy block. The pair also had two turnovers apiece.
It is a challenge to play major minutes off the bat, especially in a conference like the ACC. Witherspoon and Siulepa need to use the remainder of the non-conference schedule to grow individually because they will both presumably continue to play sizable roles for the Panthers going forward.
Slow starts cannot continue
The Panthers need to start faster. They went down 14-6 early in the first half against a low-major Youngstown State team. This trend was present in the exhibition games when Pitt was only up 47-42 against Pitt-Johnstown at the intermission, and when Pitt was down 18-6 after just six minutes. Slow starts will not fly once the Panthers start ACC play. Better composition for Pitt means it has less room to make errors and mistakes.
“We have to play harder to start the game,” head coach Jeff Capel said after the game on Monday.
The Panthers will have the opportunity to start fast on Friday, Nov. 7, when they play host to Longwood at 7 p.m.