Many critics and fans alike have claimed that the success of the Pitt men’s basketball team… Many critics and fans alike have claimed that the success of the Pitt men’s basketball team this season would rely on the 7-foot frame of junior Aaron Gray.

Last night, Gray eased some Panther woes. The 7-foot junior won the opening tip, and then took feeds from John DeGroat and Levon Kendall to score the first four points of game, pacing the Panthers to a 79-58 win over the St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers at the Petersen Events Center last night.

“Aaron Gray is a monster,” St. Francis head coach Brian Nash said afterward. “He’s a very talented player. He runs and gets great post position-and just wears you down over time.”

The Panthers obliterated the Terriers in the paint. Their 40 points more than doubled St. Francis’ total. According to head coach Jamie Dixon, dominating underneath was a critical part of the game plan.

“We wanted to get the ball inside, and I thought we executed our plays very well,” Dixon said.

Gray finished the night with his third double-double of the year, tallying a game high 22 points and 11 rebounds. The center also added four blocks to the box score.

“It’s always a focus to get a 7-foot guy the ball,” Pitt guard Carl Krauser said after the game. “I always want to get Aaron the ball.”

That translates well to the 7-foot junior.

“I know my teammates had a lot of confidence in me and that’s my motivation.”

Krauser didn’t have a bad night himself. The senior point guard scored 18 points to surpass former Panther Curtis Aiken for 20th on Pitt’s all time scoring list, placing him only six points behind Jerome Lane for 18th place.

Krauser jump-started the stale Panthers offense in the second half, converting a short runner followed by a steal finished with a dazzling under-the-leg lay-in that sent the Oakland Zoo into a frenzy.

“I just wanted to give my team an energy lift,” Krauser said.

Sparks like that are a big reason Dixon’s squad looks to Krauser for leadership.

“They feed off his energy,” he explained.

The Panthers needed that energy after playing and practicing the last eight days straight. Today marks the first day off for the team in more than a week.

Three-point shooting kept St. Francis in the game through the first half. Led by senior Christian Brown’s 20 points, the Terriers hit 8 of 20 three pointers to double the Panthers’ total from beyond the arc.

However, 18 of Brown’s 20 points came in the first half. Ronald Ramon and a stifling Panther defense held Brown to zero field goals and only two points from free throws in the second half.

“Ronald did a great job on Brown,” Dixon said. “[Brown] is a good player and we did a good job and adjusted.”

Nash echoed Dixon’s comments.

“[Pitt] defensively stepped it up and he got frustrated,” he said of Brown’s second half performance.

Ramon admitted afterward that shutting down Brown was satisfying for reasons beyond winning the game.

“We played against each other in high school,” Ramon said of his and Brown’s history as opponents. Brown’s team defeated Ramon’s in the city championship in New York two years ago.

“That was kind of like payback,” Ramon said.

The Panther defense also did more than just neutralize Brown. Pitt scored a whopping 31 points off turnovers as compared to the Terriers’ two.

“We take pride in our defense because we know it provides offense for us,” Krauser said.

The Panthers combined both elements to pull away from the Terriers down the stretch, and even added some much-needed free-throw shooting, hitting 21 of 28 to stay above the St. Francis shooters.

Pitt is a very young team, but just four games into the season, they are already showing signs of molding together and becoming more comfortable as a whole.

“I feel comfortable with the guys we’re playing,” Dixon said. “I’m very happy.”

The Panthers move to 4-0 for the eighth straight year. They return to action Sunday, when they take on Auburn at home. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.