Troutman leads Pitt past St. Francis

Chevon Troutman has just been unstoppable in the early season.

He, for the fourth game in a… Chevon Troutman has just been unstoppable in the early season.

He, for the fourth game in a row, reached double-digit scoring, with 22 points in Pitt’s 65-41 win over St. Francis last night. Troutman has moved his career total to 907 points.

His search to become the 32nd Panther to reach the 1,000-point plateau is only 93 points away.

“You just give him the ball, give him the ball, keep feeding him, and keep feeding him and let him just get so big that he bursts,” guard Carl Krauser said of Troutman.

Troutman also pulled down 13 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season.

“He’s been as valuable as any player we’ve had,” head coach Jamie Dixon said after the game.

Despite the lopsided score, the Red Flash (2-2) played tough, defensive basketball in the first half, holding Pitt to 34 points.

St. Francis held a 17-14 lead after forward Rodney Gibson came off the bench to connect on a long two-point jump shot.

The No. 13 Panthers (4-0) turned it around right there with two clutch three-pointers from guards Yuri Demetris and Antonio Graves. Troutman followed those scores with six consecutive free throws.

Demetris’ three-pointer tied the game at 17. Pitt took a three-point lead soon thereafter when Graves took a pass from Krauser, stopped at the three-point line and swished the ball through the netting.

The three fouls on Troutman ensued.

After the Red Flash was called for a three-second violation in the paint, Troutman scored two points on free-throws following a foul under the basket.

Troutman was again fouled while attempting a shot on the next Panther possession. Like before, he settled down at the charity stripe and swished both free-throws.

On the defensive end, Troutman blocked a shot from Jason Osborne and then caught the loose ball. The Panthers moved the ball up court and set up a couple of shots, pulling down offensive rebounds, until finally a foul was called, sending Troutman to the line again.

Dixon commented on Troutman’s physical play following the game.

“That’s what he does,” he said, adding, “There’s nobody stronger.”

Krauser jumped onto the three-point bandwagon after a St. Francis field goal. Taft would give Pitt a 30-19 lead with a layup.

Freshman Ronald Ramon would cash in from beyond the three-point arc to send the Panthers into halftime leading 34-23.

His opportunity came after Graves drove toward the basket, leaped and attempted a shot, but was fouled, sending him to the line for two. Graves hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Aaron Gray tapped the rebound out to near midcourt. The ball was passed to a wide-open Ramon, who wasted no time hitting the three-point shot.

Out of the locker room, St. Francis narrowed the gap with a field goal, but a three-pointer from an unusual suspect sent Pitt on a run.

Demetris passed up a wide open three and passed to Troutman, who hit the rare three-point shot to give the Panthers a 37-25 lead.

Krauser explained after the game that Troutman works very hard in practice, especially on his three-point shots.

Mark McCarroll followed the big three with a slam dunk set up by Chris Taft.

Krauser scored the next five Panther points with a layup and his second three-pointer of the evening.

The Panthers continued to roll, building a 20-point lead with 6:07 remaining in the game. The 55-35 lead was attained when Demetris sunk his second three-pointer of the night.

A few dunks — including one by Gray and one by Graves — capped the night for the Panthers.

Krauser finished with 10 points and five assists. He struggled from the field, though, only hitting four of his 12 field goals.

“I’m not really worried about it,” Krauser said, adding that he has confidence that he will step it up when conference play rolls around.

Last season, the Red Flash scored 69 points in a loss to the Panthers. It was the fourth-highest point total that Pitt allowed. This season, the 41 points scored by St. Francis is the lowest the Panthers have allowed.

The Panthers’ next matchup is against cross-town rival Duquesne. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center.