Panthers down Tigers, 74-66, stay undefeated

Senior forward Levon Kendall stood on the free-throw line with 1:08 left in Sunday’s game at… Senior forward Levon Kendall stood on the free-throw line with 1:08 left in Sunday’s game at Auburn. Set for a one-and-one attempt, Kendall had a chance to extend Pitt’s 68-65 lead.

His foul shot clanged off the back iron. But senior center Aaron Gray out-leapt two Auburn Tigers, collected the loose ball, turned and kissed a layup off the backboard to expand the Panthers’ lead to 70-65.

Four consecutive missed Panther free throws and one Auburn foul shot cut the score to 70-66, but on the ensuing full-court press, sophomore Levance Fields escaped alone toward the bucket and sealed Pitt’s eighth win in a row to preserve the Panthers’ undefeated start to the 2006-07 campaign.

Pitt (No. 2 AP/No. 3 ESPN/USA Today) edged SEC foe Auburn (6-3) Sunday, 74-66, to start 8-0 for the fifth-consecutive season. In the Panthers’ first true road game, the Tigers proved difficult to put away, using runs of seven and 10 points to cut into Pitt leads that ran as high as 13.

But Preseason Big East Player of the Year Gray — who stood five inches taller than any regular contributor on Auburn’s team — dominated the paint, scoring 16 points while hauling in 12 rebounds. The 7-footer was 5-for-11 from the field and sank six of his seven free throws to lead all Panther scorers.

“[Auburn] is a very good team, and they keep getting better,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “We battled through some highs and lows in the contest. It wasn’t our best game, but [Gray] helped us when we needed him and we are happy with the win — a lot of teams would be happy to be 8-0 right now.”

With the seconds dwindling to single digits and Pitt leading 72-66, Auburn guard Quantez Robertson sliced into the Panther frontcourt. Robertson hung in the air and attempted to scoop a right-handed layup around Gray, but Gray swatted the shot into the stands to ice the win.

“Gray gave us a big defensive play there at the end,” Dixon said. “It was a nice block and huge play.”

Auburn used its speed and athleticism with former McDonald’s All-American Korvotney Barber and forward Josh Dollard to wreak havoc on the offensive glass. At halftime, Pitt held just a 13-10 advantage on its defensive boards, and Auburn had eight second-chance points.

“Bottom line — we need to get the job done on the boards,” Dixon said. “We took note of those margins going into halftime and made the necessary changes, but we have to keep improving on the glass.”

Barber (19) and Dollard (14) combined for 33 points and 13 rebounds, but Dollard fouled out in the waning moments of the contest, leaving Auburn undersized in the paint.

Pitt regained the rebounding advantage in the second half and prevailed 46-34 in the battle for the boards. Kendall snatched nine rebounds, seven of which were offensive, and Fields grabbed eight from the point guard slot.

Wing guard Antonio Graves netted 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and nailed a 3-pointer that sparked a 13-2 Pitt run that gave the Panthers an early lead. Junior guards Ronald Ramon (13) and Keith Benjamin (7) combined for 20 points and six rebounds off a Pitt bench that out-scored Auburn’s bench, 24-13.

After the Panthers sprinted out to a 13-point lead with 5:31 left in the game, the tide of the game changed. Auburn held Pitt scoreless over the next three minutes, clawing back to a 66-63 deficit.

Pitt clung to its lead over the final 2:31 in spite of its 2-for-8 free-throw shooting, which included six consecutive misses. The team needed Fields’ and Gray’s layups to seal the deal.

“We have to be better once we get into the bonus,” Dixon said. “We have to finish out games like these and work on pulling away.”

Pitt held Auburn to just 36 percent in the second half and shot 61 percent in the first frame to maintain its lead. After hitting just two of their 17 attempts from 3-point territory in Wednesday’s victory over Robert Morris, the Panthers hit eight of 20, good for 40 percent.

Fields and junior wing Mike Cook each scored nine points in starting roles, while sophomore forward Tyrell Biggs added four from the bench.

The Panthers return to the Petersen Events Center Wednesday for a contest with cross-town rival Duquesne. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m.