Pitt picks up two wins

Pitt won two games over Thanksgiving break to keep its all-time record at the Petersen… Pitt won two games over Thanksgiving break to keep its all-time record at the Petersen Event Center perfect at 19-0. Guard Carl Krauser scored a combined 43 points in the two games, leading the Panthers (4-0) to wins over Robert Morris and Albany.

Pitt 75, Robert Morris 61

Robert Morris traveled to Pitt on Wednesday to avenge a 36-point loss it suffered at the Pete last season, but came up short. The Colonials kept the game close for the first 13 minutes of the first half and held a 21-20 lead with 9:47 left in the half.

The Panthers then went on a 13-2 run, which put them up 36-23. Guard Jaron Brown started the run when he took a pass from guard Yuri Demetris and pulled up for a 3-pointer with a Colonial defender in his face.

Forward Chris Taft scored the next two buckets for the Panthers, both coming on layups. Brown would score two more buckets himself to continue the run that put the Panthers ahead for good.

The Colonials spent much of the rest of the game down by at least 10 points.

With 12:18 left in the game, the Colonials did cut the Panther lead to five points, but Pitt quickly rebounded with two three-point plays.

The first play came from forward Chevon Troutman, who was fouled while making a layup. He added the free throw, then Krauser made a three-pointer to extend the Panther lead to 11 points.

Krauser finished the game with 21 points, two assists and four steals. He also had seven turnovers in the game.

“I know I’m a better player than that,” Krauser said. “I was just making a couple of careless mistakes that I shouldn’t have made. I’ve just got to come back next game and play better.”

Pitt finished the game with three other Panthers scoring in double digits – guard Julius Page, Troutman and Brown. Brown scored 19 points and recorded 3 assists.

Pitt 83, Albany 54

Krauser scored a career-high 22 points in a victory against Albany on Friday. Taft also had a career game, recording his first double-double – 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Panthers scored the first points in the game and set the pace from there on. Albany spent the whole game playing catch-up. The first half ended with the score 32-27 and Great Dane forward Levi Levine scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half.

Pitt came out after halftime and turned on the offense. At one point, the Panthers went on a 20-7 run and went up on Albany by 32 points.

Freshman guard Antonio Graves saw 14 minutes of play and was one of the four Panthers with double-digits in scoring. He had 11 points and two assists and also went three-for-five from beyond the three-point line.

Head coach Jamie Dixon explained how they made some adjustments coming out of halftime in order to get the team on track. The adjustments led to a 51-point second half.

“We probably weren’t in the right offense in the first half. We adjusted that in the second half,” Dixon said. “On the defensive half, all it takes is one guy to break down. We just looked at the mistakes we made and how they capitalized on them.”

Pitt’s next game is at Duquesne tonight at 9:30 p.m.