Panthers, Dixon get emotional first win

WEST POINT, N.Y. – With a little less than five minutes remaining in the game, Pitt point… WEST POINT, N.Y. – With a little less than five minutes remaining in the game, Pitt point guard Levance Fields ran the ball up court and dished off his ninth and final assist of the game.

Without hesitation, he sprinted back on defense as Western Michigan attempted to beat Pitt to the other side. Fields, however, raced to the left side, stripped the ball away and knocked it out of bounds to end the play.

On the timeout, head coach Jamie Dixon took Fields out of the game to a standing ovation of Pitt faithful that filled the Christl Arena.

He failed to score a single point, but Fields’ presence on the court at the starting point guard position was a key factor in leading the Panthers to a season-opening 86-67 victory over the Broncos Sunday at the inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic on the campus of Army.

“He really can run a team,” Dixon said of Fields. “His defense was good, too, I thought. We’re very fortunate to have him and Ronald [Ramon]. It’s a good combination, we’ll go back and forth at people.”

Ramon scored 16 points off the bench, with 15 of them coming off 3-point shots. The junior connected on five of his six 3-pointers and he also delivered four assists of his own, creating questions as to whom Dixon will be starting throughout the year.

“It is what it is,” Dixon said of the two battling at the point guard position. “It’s a problem other teams wish they had. It’s not a problem to us. It’s just a case of having two very good point guards that can play together as they did.”

Big East Preseason Player of the Year Aaron Gray recorded his first double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive side.

“We have so much depth,” Gray said. “Our second team is very strong, and they are going to see a lot of minutes this year. It’s a great feeling to know when someone needs a breather, this team’s not going to let up.”

Seeing his first in-season action as a Panther, junior transfer Mike Cook led all scorers with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Two other Panthers — Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs — scored in double digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

“Cook is just a great guy off the court,” Ramon said. “He just fit right in to the offense. It’s like he’s been with us all the time.”

Pitt’s bench scored 45 of the team’s 86 points as nine Pitt players saw at least 18 minutes of action. With the depth of Dixon’s team, he knows he has some special players but doesn’t want to call this team his best.

“I like to think that each team we have can be our best team,” he said. “So I don’t like to put limitations on us as to what we can do. We’ll continue to get better now and be ready for the next game.”

The Maggie Dixon classic featured another game after Pitt’s, matching the Army women’s basketball team with Ohio State. Maggie Dixon, the late sister of Jamie Dixon, coached Army’s women’s team last season to its first Patriot League championship in school history.

After the game, the school raised two banners over the court — the team’s Patriot League championship and Maggie Dixon’s Coach of the Year banner — and presented Jamie Dixon and his family with Maggie’s championship ring.

An emotional Jamie addressed the crowd afterwards and stated the importance of what the classic meant to him and his family.

“Maggie loved everything about West Point,” he said. “I thank everyone here for their support to me and my family. I’m glad Maggie got to coach your girls here for the short time she was able to.”

Pitt returns home to the Petersen Events Center Tuesday with a matchup against Delaware State.