With about five minutes to play, Penn was threatening to take a fairly close game with the Panthers into halftime.
Then Pitt woke up.
The Panthers used a 15-0 run to break open a close game for a 36-18 halftime lead. Since Pitt held a narrow 21-18 lead, they’ve held Penn scoreless. The team hasn’t shot all that well, 46% from the field and only 20% from three-point range, but Pitt’s staples of defense and rebounding have kept Penn at bay.
Pitt has held Penn to only 35% shooting from the field. The Panthers have also, as expected, beaten up on the Quakers on the boards and enjoy a +9 advantage.
A pair of reserves, Nasir Robinson and Dante Taylor, lead the Panthers. Each has seven points and four rebounds. In the second half, look for Pitt’s star backcourt of Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker to break out. So far, the duo has combined for only seven points, three assists, and one rebound. Both are capable of much more and Gibbs has shot only 1-6 in the first half.