Men top Miss. Valley State 78-45

A technical difficulty with the shot clocks was the only thing that slowed Pitt down last… A technical difficulty with the shot clocks was the only thing that slowed Pitt down last night.

The Panthers raced to a convincing 78-45 win over Mississippi Valley State at the Petersen Events Center. It was the last of four contests for Pitt in the Hispanic College Fund Challenge.

“It was a pretty strong performance for us all the way through,” head coach Jamie Dixon said. “We defended well.”

Forward Sam Young led Pitt (4-0) with 17 points and 12 rebounds, four of which were offensive boards. The 6-foot-6-inch junior continued his fast start, tallying his fourth double-digit points total in four tries.

For the season, Young averages 18.7 points through four games. He used his leaping ability and length to add to his rebounding average, which neared 10 rebounds a game at 9.8.

“If they’re going to come out and they aren’t ready to play us,” Young said, “I’m going to expose them.”

Young’s thunderous dunk on an alley-oop pass from Pitt guard Levance Fields ignited a breathless start for the Panthers, who jumped to an 11-3 lead before the first media timeout. Pitt ripped a 12-4 run later in the half and finished Mississippi Valley State off with a 7-0 run.

The Panthers led 35-19 at halftime.

“The defense was key,” Dixon said. “Playing hard and defending – doing it all the way through – is important.”

If there were any questions about redshirt freshman Gilbert Brown’s sore shoulder, the 6-6 wing answered them. Brown scored a career-high 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists.

Brown was perfect from the field, and it was the first time he reached double figures in his career at Pitt. He hit all four of his shots, including two 3-pointers, and sank both of his free throws.

“I felt comfortable shooting,” Brown said. “My shoulder feels good. It’s the best it’s going to be.”

There was some cause for concern in the first half when stalwart freshman DeJuan Blair tumbled to the floor after losing control of his dribble. The 6-7 center was slow to get up and, after Dixon took Blair out, he never returned.

Initial reports said Blair had a bruised tailbone.

“We’ll have to see how he feels [today],” Dixon said. “He landed on it.”

By the time Blair left the game, the Panthers didn’t need their inside enforcer. Pitt led by as many as 20 in the first half. Mississippi Valley State (0-1) appeared overmatched from the start.

The Delta Devils shot 26 percent. Pitt dominated the glass, outrebounding Mississippi Valley State 50-30. The Panthers scored 16 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.

“They just jumped over the top of us,” Mississippi Valley State coach James Green said, adding that his injured 6-10 center Larry Cox could have helped in the paint.

When things seemingly couldn’t go worse for the visitors, they did. Mississippi Valley State missed a handful of layups from close range. The shooters rarely had space to release, and numerous possessions ended in flustered prayers.

“[Pitt] stayed down in its stances,” Green said. “They did some switching. They’ve always been good defensively. When you’re playing against a team that only has a couple of guys who can make shots, and you play those guys tough, it gets harder and harder on us.”

NOTE – Fields turned his ankle and Dixon said the training staff does not know how serious the injury is. Brown banged his knee on the floor near halfcourt, and Dixon described him as “banged up” after the game. Dixon said he will have to wait to find out more about the injuries today.