Sports Network | November 10, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Ashton Gibbs scored 24 points with seven assists and Brad Wanamaker donated 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds, as fifth-ranked Pittsburgh rolled past Illinois-Chicago, 97-54, as part of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
Gilbert Brown added 12 points and six rebounds, while Travon Woodall contributed 10 points in the victory. The unselfish Panthers (2-0) assisted on 27 of 37 made baskets in the rout.
K.C. Robbins led Illinois-Chicago (0-1) with 12 points and five rebounds, while Robo Kreps added seven points in defeat.
The Panthers, off a narrow victory over Rhode Island, got off to a quick start as they jumped out to a 9-2 lead capped by two Brown free throws. Woodall stepped into a three-pointer and found the bottom of the net to increase the lead to 22-6 just over seven minutes in. Brown’s layup nearing the eight- minute mark opened a 28-11 lead, as Illinois-Chicago had just five field goals in the first 12 minutes.
Daniel Barnes’ three-pointer narrowed the margin to 39-25, and Pittsburgh held the 14-point lead at 43-29 after 20 minutes of game action.
The second half was more of the same as the Panthers piled on. A 9-0 scoring stretch early in the second half opened a 55-31 lead. Illinois-Chicago cut the deficit to 20 points at 62-42, but the Panthers reeled off nine points in succession capped by Talib Zanna’s slam dunk for a 71-42 lead. Pittsburgh cruised to victory from there.
This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools…The Panthers shot 57.8 percent from the floor and drained 11-of-21 from beyond the arc…On the flip side, Illinois-Chicago made just 37.9 percent of its shots