Wagner was weekend’s first win

BOSTON – The Panthers utilized a size advantage and a physical defense to easily defeat… BOSTON – The Panthers utilized a size advantage and a physical defense to easily defeat No. 15 seed Wagner 87-61 Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and advance to their second round matchup against Indiana. The 26-point margin of victory is the most in Pitt NCAA Tournament history, one better than the Panthers’ 93-68 win over Marist in 1987.

The Fleet Center hosted a sizeable contingent of Wagner fans who were decisively louder than Panther fans, booing Pitt players during warm-ups and introductions. But it didn’t seem to matter to the Panthers, who took a 40-29 halftime lead and never looked back.

Pitt broke the game wide open in the second half as it started on a 15-3 run that turned into a 27-8 run after a three-pointer from Jaron Brown, who finished with 11 points in the game.

“You have to give Wagner credit, they are a tough team, but smaller, and we took advantage of our size inside all night,” Pitt head coach Ben Howland said.

It took the Seahawks until the 13:30 mark of the second half to score just their fifth point of the half, thanks to a stifling Panther defense that knocked down balls and then knocked down shots at the other end.

“We’re very aggressive. We deny passes and contest every shot,” Brandin Knight said.

Pitt forced 19 Wagner turnovers and amassed 14 steals, led by Chevon Troutman with four. But the Panthers also found a groove offensively, as four Panthers scored in double digits, led by Donatas Zavackas with 16 points and seven rebounds, both a team-high. Carl Krauser contributed 12 points off the bench to go along with six rebounds and three steals.

“[Pitt] did an excellent job of preparing for us,” Wagner head coach Dereck Whittenburg said. “It’s hard in practice to simulate how physical they are and I think it showed in the second half.”

The victory marked Pitt’s 10th consecutive win, as the Panthers remain a perfect 57-0 against the Northeast Conference. Pitt’s first-round opponent in last season’s tournament, Central Connecticut State, was also the winner of the NEC.