BROOKLYN – Pitt used a formula of stifling defense, strong rebounding, and balanced scoring to improve to 5-1 on the season with a 76-51 win over Oregon State Friday afternoon at the Barclays Center.
Zack Austin scored a season-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and two steals to lead the Panthers. Blake Hinson overcame an off-shooting game to finish with 17 points, while Ishmael Leggett delivered another stat stuffing effort with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
Austin kick started the offense in the opening half with 10 points on a trio of three-point field goals as the Panthers grabbed an early double-digit lead. Leggett and Jorge Diaz Graham bookended threes during a 16-5 run to give the Panthers a 39-21 edge with 3:33 left in the half.
Pitt went cold from the field over the final three minutes going 0-of-5 from the field, including a 0-of-3 from beyond the arc, as Oregon State closed the halftime gap to 39-27 with a 6-0 run.
The Panthers led by 12 at the break despite shooting just 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from the field and 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from three-point range. Pitt’s defense limited the Beavers to under 30 percent shooting in the opening half, including 2-of-15 (.133) from long range.
Hinson helped spark a second half surge with three three-pointers after the break and Federiko Federiko made his presence felt on both ends of the floor….
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