Pitt Spirals in Brutal Brawl Performance at West Virginia
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In an early-season Backyard Brawl, both Pitt and West Virginia were attempting to find their true identities with a new-look Panther squad and a Mountaineer team under first-year head coach Ross Hodge.
Pitt walked out of the Hope Coliseum as the program still searching for answers as the Panthers spiraled in the final 30 minutes of play as West Virginia took the 192nd Backyard Brawl, 71-49.
For the first time since 2011-12, Pitt (3-1) was held under 50 points in the brawl as the Panthers shot 37.7 percent from the floor and went 5-of-20 (25%) from beyond the arc. The Panthers turned it over 12 times in the losing effort and were out-rebounded 34-31.
Senior forward Cam Corhen led the Panthers with a double-double, recording 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 10 rebounds, while freshman guard Omari Witherspoon poured in 11 points.
West Virginia (4-0) had four players in double figures with center Harlan Obioha scoring 19 on an efficient 8-of-9 shooting. Honor Huff added 15 points with a pair of triples, while Jasper Floyd registered 13.
The Mountaineers shot 44 percent from the floor in the second half and dominated down low with 32 points in the paint.
Feeding off the energy in the building, West Virginia jumped quickly on Pitt with a 5-0 start. The Panthers defensive effort was lacking early as the Mountaineers collected three offensive rebounds, including two on the same possession that finally led to a DJ Thomas finish for two.
Pitt prevented another poor start as the offense began to click early with contributions throughout the starting lineup.
The most notable play came from the young Witherspoon, who flashed his potential with an excellent drive and finish, along with a neat stepback three that lost a WVU defender. He added a pair of smooth turnaround jumpers to lead Pitt with nine points in the first half.
Pitt climbed to its biggest lead of the game, 21-14, at the 8:01 mark of the first thanks to a Damarco Minor jumper that was followed by a Corhen slam.
After shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor for the first portion of the half, the Pitt offense went quiet. It hit just one field goal in the final eight minutes of play off a triple from Brandin Cummings.
West Virginia then brought a balanced offensive attack late in the half. Obioha, a 7-foot, 265-pounder, caused matchup nightmares down low for the Panthers. Utilizing his frame, Obioha added a layup, a dunk and hit a pair of free throws.
On the outside, Thomas and Floyd connected on triples as WVU took a 34-25 lead into half.
The Mountaineers roared out of the gates to open the second half as they caught the Panthers sleeping. Floyd picked off Minor less than a minute in and finished at the other end that led to an early Jeff Capel timeout. A Treysen Eaglestaff three capped off a 12-0 run for WVU.
Pitt dug itself out of a deep hole momentarily and back within 10 with a series of triples from Nojus Indrusaitus, Roman Siulepa and Corhen.
However, abysmal offensive play reverted Pitt back into its futile ways. Turnovers, lack of communication and just poor execution led the a flurry of opportunities the other way for the Mountaineers.
Then came the frustration. Indrusaitis and Capel both received technical fouls as the Mountaineer faithful exploded.
Morris Ugusuk’s 3-pointer at the 4:43 mark of the second half put West Virginia up 66-42.
Pitt returns home to the Petersen Events Center Monday to take on Bucknell at 7 p.m.
