Pitt got out to a quick start, but American was able to hang around into the second half. In the end, though, the Panthers had too much and won comfortably, 61-46, to give head coach Jamie Dixon his 200th career win. Pitt didn’t play its best and finished more than 20 points below its scoring average. Still, its defense was enough to bring home a win in Pitt’s last non-conference game of the season.
Gilbert Brown followed up his career-high 28-point game against Maryland Eastern Shore with another good one, going for 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Brad Wanamaker also added 17 points to lead the Panthers in scoring.
Pitt’s got some rebounding from the bench, led by Dante Taylor’s seven boards. But the reserves only contributed 11 points – far less than normal.
The Panthers also didn’t have a great night shooting the ball as the team shot 40% from the field, 29% from 3-point range, and only 52% from the line. But even though their free-throw percentage was low, they were constantly fouled by the Eagles and managed to get to the line 25 times. Contrast that to American only shooting four free throws all night, add in Pitt’s +15 edge in rebounding and you end up with a big Panther win.
American star Vlad Moldoveanu didn’t disappoint. Despite being 6’9", he showed the ability to play both an inside and outside game. Moldoveanu finished with 23 points on 9-20 shooting and is really a player.
Pitt will now get some time off before having to face UConn on Monday in what could be a matchup between two top five teams.
For more post-game analysis, check out SB Nation Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill.