Panthers dominate offensive boards, Eastern Washington in 84-51 rout

While Pitt’s 7-1 record indicates the team knows how to close out games, its true strength lies in opening them.

The Pitt men’s basketball team entered Friday night ranked second in the country (trailing only No. 7 Oklahoma) in first-half scoring differential at +15.5. After outscoring Eastern Washington by 19 in the first half en route to a 84-51 victory at the Petersen Events Center, that stat will only improve.

“The passing was good, the shots were good, especially early,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “We knew this team can really score the basketball. We emphasized defense, and we set a goal of holding them to 35 percent shooting.

While Pitt did not quite reach that goal — Eastern Washington shot 37 percent for the game — Dixon was still pleased with the tenacity on defense. Pitt outrebounded Eastern Washington 43-22, with a 14-5 offensive rebound advantage.

The team built this early lead with opportunistic play, scoring 16 first-half points off of eight Eagle turnovers. Graduate transfer center Rafael Maia extended possessions himself, grabbing two of his eight first-half rebounds on the offensive end and putting them back for baskets.

Dixon said Maia has lost weight and improved dramatically since the start of the season.

“He’s more active, he’s jumping better,” Dixon said. “We were trying to get him in a little better condition, and it’s showing on the floor. He’s playing a little bigger, he’s jumping a little higher.”

The Panthers jumped out to a quick lead, thanks to shooting 6-6 from the field to open the game, punctuated by an early Jamel Artis 3-pointer.

“We found the open man, we started running more ball screens. I think that helped a lot,” Artis said. “We found Mike Young and Rafael rolling to the basket, got them open shots.”

After a couple early Eastern Washington 3-point shots, Pitt promptly began a 15-0 run to open up a 22-6 lead. The Panthers shot 43 percent from 3-point range in the game.

Forward Sheldon Jeter got in on the action with a fastbreak slam with 7:00 remaining in the first half.

Jeter said the team has emphasized defense, and he’s seen improvement since the beginning of the season. Eastern Washington’s 51 points were the fewest Pitt allowed since surrendering 49 against Cornell on Nov. 25.

“In practice, one big emphasis was rebounding and not giving up second shots. We did a lot better job of that tonight,” Jeter said. “Hopefully by conference play, we’ll be one of the country’s best defensive teams.”

Despite Pitt’s opportunistic play — 16 points off of eight first-half EWU turnovers — Austin McBroom kept the Eagles from a blowout. The senior scored 11 first-half points, thanks to three 3-point baskets.

After the first half, though, McBroom shot 1-4 for only three points. Young said containing McBroom was a point of emphasis, after he scored 33 in his last game.

“We knew that McBroom came off a big game against Davidson, so we knew he was going to come out and try to keep that going,” Young said. “But for the most part, it was just good team defense.”

But the Panthers gradually extended their lead, thanks to a Maia offensive rebound putback followed by a Michael Young and-one conversion. Young led the Panthers with 21 points.

James Robinson saw minimal first-half time thanks to two quick fouls, but freshman Damon Wilson filled in and pushed the pace off of EWU missed shots. Wilson finished with seven points. Still, Robinson returned late in the first half and promptly buried a three. Dixon said the ability to insert Wilson with confidence in those situations will be crucial moving forward.

“We played a lot of the game with Damon as the point, and that was a good opportunity for us as well,” Dixon said.

Just before half, Artis punctuated Pitt’s offensive outburst with a running putback layin after a Sterling Smith miss before time expired. Pitt entered halftime with a commanding 42-23 lead, on pace to continue its national top-10 scoring average.

Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford said Pitt scouted his team well and created matchup problems.

“This Pitt team is the best team I’ve ever coached against,” Hayford said.

Maia finished the half with six points and eight rebounds, tacking on three more boards in the second half.

To start the second half, Eastern Washington trimmed the lead to 14 by taking advantage of some sloppy Pitt turnovers. Felix Von Hofe stole an Artis pass at halfcourt and scored an easy fast break layup.

Still, the Panthers kept their opponent at bay, never allowing the Eagles within 10 points for the remainder of the half.

Midway through the period, Pitt began to pull away, when Artis grabbed an offensive rebound and went back up strong, drawing a foul and converting the basket to push Pitt’s lead to 22.

More offensive boards and baseline dunks, including a Jeter three-point play, grew the lead to as high as 36.

“We’ve got good players on the team, whether on the bench or starting,” Jeter said. “Right from the start, we want everybody on the bench to keep up that energy, so when you get in, it just translates to the game.”

Pitt next takes the court on Sunday when it hosts Morehead State at 4 p.m.