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Pitt vs. Kennesaw State: Panthers win with little trouble, 59-43

Pitt concluded its non-conference schedule with a win over the Kennesaw State Owls on Sunday, 59-43. Leading the way for the starters was the frontcourt of Talib Zanna and Steven Adams. The duo combined for 19 points and 16 rebounds. The two also shot better than 50% and added a pair of blocks. Reserve J.J. Moore chipped in with seven points and eight rebounds.

While the Panthers didn't struggle all that much in this game, they did get off to a bit of a slow start, trailing 9-8 in the first five minutes.

The Owls clearly had a game plan of starting out with the three-point shot as they took five of them to open the game. They connected on three to take the early lead, but that success didn't last too long as the Owls went cold and Pitt went on a 16-5 run. They didn't relinquish the lead and ended up with their 12th win of the season.

The game marked the end of a weak non-conference schedule for the Panthers. They faced only one ranked foe, No. 2 Michigan, and weren't tested all that much by a slew of teams with losing records. Fans weren't all that happy with a lineup of teams that didn't give the Panthers much competition, but the good thing is that the team didn't falter in any of them and the 12-1 start has put them back on the national radar again after their down 2011-12 season.

Things are about to get significantly more difficult for the team, though. Next up for the Panthers is No. 11 Cincinnati, a road game against Rutgers, and another road test against No. 15 Georgetown. With such a light non-conference slate, there are still plenty of questions about Pitt. But we should learn a lot more about the team over the next few games.

Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.