Pitt defeats Gardner-Webb, stretches season-opening victory streak to 3

Pitt’s 83-64 victory Monday night against Gardner-Webb was not unexpected, and the outcome never was in doubt.

Yet it might have been one of the most important nonconference games of the season. It showed coach Jeff Capel a facet of his players’ game they need to master when the competition gets more difficult this month and next.

Gardner-Webb (1-2) played a zone defense that seemed to slow down Pitt’s offense, or at least throw players off the pace necessary to solve it.

“It was great for us to get some work against the zone. It’s the first time we’ve seen it in live action,” Capel said. “We have some film we can talk about and show.

“I thought it slowed us down the last four minutes of the first half. We got some wide-open looks and missed them. When teams go zone, they want to try to slow you down a little bit, and they make you think. It throws the rhythm off for a little bit. Then we did get open shots, and we missed them. That kind of messed with us a little bit.”

Pitt missed 21 of 30 3-point shot attempts.

Gardner-Webb didn’t change its defense in the second half and was able to crawl to within 11 points of Pitt’s lead, 57-46, with 8 minutes, 26 seconds left in the game. Finally, Pitt started to assert its superior talent and went on a 16-3 run to build a 76-49 lead with 3:13 left in the game.

“In the second half, they stayed with it because we didn’t score,” Capel said. “I thought the last 10 minutes, when we started playing with the pace against the zone, we were shot-ready, and we made shots.”

Gardner-Webb coach Jeremy Luther, a former Robert Morris player, said the zone didn’t slow down the Panthers as much as they just missed shots. Pitt is the second team from a power conference to play Gardner-Webb. The Runnin’ Bulldogs lost to No. 11 Tennessee, 80-64, on Nov. 4.

“If you guys can make some shots,” Luther said of Pitt, “it’s hard for me to think there is any difference (between the Panthers and Volunteers). You guys have a chance to be very good. I’m impressed. The ball really moves.”

What Capel didn’t like was seeing Pitt’s 27-point lead reduced to a 19-point victory when mainly reserves were in the game.

“I don’t like that at all. I don’t like the way we ended the game defensively,” he said. “Guys have to understand every second you get out there is an opportunity.”

The victory was Pitt’s second against the Big South Conference after crushing Radford on Nov. 4, 96-56.

Five players scored in double digits for the Panthers, led by Ishmael Leggett’s 21 points. Damian Dunn and Cam Corhen added 12 each, and Zack Austin scored 10. Austin hit two 3-pointers and concluded his game with a monster dunk off an assist from Leggett.

Guillermo Diaz Graham collected 10 points and nine rebounds. Lowe and Dunn handed out five assists each, and Austin, who didn’t start, had four blocks.

“Coming off the bench, I think it’s fun, honestly,” Austin said. “You can see the game. JC (Capel) tells me before every tip, when I get in, stuff has to change.”

Capel used 11 players — five off the bench in the first half, including freshman Amsal Delalic making his debut after missing the first two games with a hand injury. Delalic scored three points — a 3-pointer in the second half — but he was 0 for 2 from the foul line.

Pitt (3-0) led from start to finish, but the Panthers allowed Gardner-Webb an 8-2 run at the end of the first half. The Panthers still took a 38-23 advantage into their locker room. Pitt opened the second half shooting only 33.3% (6 of 18).

“I was really pleased with our defense the first 15 minutes of the first half,” Capel said. “We have to be able to sustain it.”

He pointed out Gardner-Webb scored only eight points in the paint in the first half but 24 there after halftime.

“Overall pleased with the win,” Capel said, “looking forward to getting better.”

The outcome Monday was never in question, but it served as a tuneup for the next stretch of seven games that includes six opponents from power conferences. Next up will be West Virginia visiting the Pete on Friday in the men’s basketball version of the Backyard Brawl.

“We know it’s going to be a dogfight, and I feel like we prepared for the dogfight these past three games,” Leggett said. “Now, it’s time to put all the pieces together.”

After WVU leaves town, Pitt will play VMI of the Southern Conference on Nov. 18, before meeting LSU and either UCF or Wisconsin in the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulpher Springs, W.Va., followed by Ohio State, Mississippi State in the ACC/SEC Challenge and the ACC opener at Virginia Tech on Dec. 7.