PITTSBURGH – Pitt improved to 2-0 on the season with an 83-68 win over Murray State Friday evening at the Petersen Events Center as the guard trio of Jaland Lowe(20), Damian Dunn (19), and Ishmael Leggett (19) combined for 58 points, while Cameron Corhen added 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double as a Panther.
The Panthers closed the game on a 21-5 run as Guillermo Diaz Graham scored the first seven points of the deciding run and Pitt went 9-of-14 from the foul line down the stretch to secure the win.
Pitt scored the first five points of the game and made six of its first seven field goal attempts to jump out to a 14-5 lead in the opening five minutes of action. The Panthers pulled ahead 25-13 with 11 minutes left in the half following consecutive three-point field goals from Dunn and Brandin Cummings. Dunn’s triple gave him 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in the first nine minutes of action.
Murray State used a 9-0 run to get within one at 29-28 as Pitt went through a 2:34 scoring drought and the Racers grabbed their first lead, 37-36, on a corner three by AJ Ferguson with 2:05 left in the half.
Lowe scored the last five points of the half for the Panthers, including a deep three with 2.5 seconds remaining to send Pitt into the break with a 41-39 advantage. Both teams shot over 55 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
Pitt’s backcourt trio of Dunn, Leggett, and Lowe combined for 33 of the team’s 41 points in the first half, while Murray State was able to recover from an early double-figure deficit by going 14-of-22 (.636) from the field over the final 15 minutes of the half.
Dunn drilled a three-pointer off a feed from Lowe coming out of the under 16 timeout in the second half to give the Panthers a 52-47 lead. Murray State continued to attack the draw and get to the free throw line to tie the game at 57 on a pair of free throws from Aiden Applewhite as Corhen picked up his fourth foul on the play with 11:49 remaining in the half.
Guillermo Diaz Graham knocked down a three on Pitt’s next possession and added a fast break dunk off a nice touch pass from Cummings to force a Murray State timeout with the Panthers leading 62-57 win 10:02 remaining.
Terrance Harcum hit consecutive threes as the Racers grabbed a 63-62 lead in the tightly contested contest. Pitt regained the lead at the foul line and pulled ahead 71-65 with 5:53 remaining on a make from the charity stripe by Dunn.
The Panthers continued to pour it on with Leggett and Dunn knocking down threes before a tip dunk by Corhen capped off a 17-2 run to give Pitt a 79-65 lead and force Murray State to use its final timeout with 3:47 remaining in the contest.
Pitt’s stifling defense finished off the game strong as Zack Austin made an impact with his athleticism in the second half. He finished with a career-best five blocked shots to go along with eight rebounds.
Terence Harcum paced the Racers with 15 points, while Aidan Applewhite came off the bench to register 11 points and eight rebounds. Murray State also received double-figure scoring efforts from JaCobi Wood (10) and KyeRon Lindsay (10).
BACKCOURT LEADING THE WAY
Pitt’s starting guards – Jaland Lowe (20), Ishmael Leggett (19), Damian Dunn (19) – combined for 58 points on 18-of-36 (.500) shooting from the field. The Panthers’ guard trio is averaging 54.5 points per game through the first two contests of the season.
BACK-TO-BACK 20 PIECES
Lowe topped the 20-point mark for the second consecutive game and has now scored 20 or more points in a game four times in his career. The Missouri City, Texas native is averaging 20.5 points per game on the season and has scored in double figures in 17 of his past 19 games.
LOCKING UP LATE
Pitt held the Racers scoreless over a span of 4:53 in the second half in turning a one-point deficit into a 15-point lead. The Panthers limited Murray State to 0-of-8 shooting from the field over the final 7:46 of play and just an 8-of-26 (.308) effort from the floor in the second half.
UP NEXT
Pitt continues its homestand Monday, Nov. 11 against Gardner-Webb (7 p.m. – ACC Network Extra).
Source: Pitt Athletics
