Troutman powers Pitt win

Chevon Troutman’s double-double led the Pitt men’s basketball team to a 69-44 victory over… Chevon Troutman’s double-double led the Pitt men’s basketball team to a 69-44 victory over Gannon University at the Petersen Events Center in its final exhibition game of the preseason.

Troutman’s 12 points and 12 rebounds were more of an accomplishment because he did part of his work playing out of position at center, replacing Chris Taft, who did not play.

Taft was out of the game because of an arm injury, meaning Pitt has not had its projected starting lineup on the court together at any point during the preseason.

Carl Krauser, who missed last week’s game against Carnegie Mellon because of a shoulder injury, started, but struggled at shooting. Krauser shot four of 13 from the floor and only 2 for 4 from the free-throw line.

“It was uncomfortable, but I just missed the shot,” Krauser said, reluctant to blame his shoulder for the struggles. When asked further about his shoulder, he assured the media, “No sir, it’s nothing like Julius [Page]’s ankle; I’m not going to be hurt for six months or eight months.”

The Panthers turned up the defense in the game, after struggling against Carnegie Mellon last week. Gannon was held to only four field goals in the first half, and ended the game shooting 22 percent from the floor.

The interior of the Pitt defense shone the brightest, thanks in part to three highlight-reel-worthy blocks by Mark McCarroll, and solid post play and rebounding by Aaron Gray and Troutman. Together, they combined to hold Gannon’s 6-foot-11, All-American candidate Geoff Husted to five rebounds and two points.

“We knew how good their big guy was, and we did a good job holding him to one for 11 [shooting],” head coach Jamie Dixon said after the game.

The perimeter shooting of the Panthers came on in the second half, as the team connected on five of 10 three-point attempts in the half. Ronald Ramon and Yuri Demetris both connected on a pair of shots from behind the arc. Even with the three-pointers, Demetris’ contributions on the other end of the court have not gone unnoticed by Dixon.

“Yuri is the best defender we have at [the small forward] position,” Dixon said. “We showed improvement on the defensive end.”

For the game, Pitt only shot 39 percent from the floor, despite the success from behind the arc. When asked why the Panthers shot a low percentage, Krauser offered a tongue-in-cheek response.

“The ball didn’t go in the hole,” Krauser said with a smirk.

With the win, Pitt finishes its exhibition season 2-0. The Panthers will open their regular season Saturday at 7 p.m. against Howard University at the Petersen Events Center.