PITTSBURGH – Senior guard Ishmael Leggett recorded a season-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals to lead five double-figure scorers as Pitt posted an 83-64 win over Gardner-Webb Monday evening at the Petersen Events Center.
Zack Austin came off the bench to deliver another strong outing with 10 points, five rebounds, two steals, and four blocked shots. Pitt big man Cameron Corhen (12 points, six rebounds) and Guillermo Diaz Graham (10 points, nine rebounds) combined for 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Damian Dunn added 12 points and five assists for the Panthers.
Pitt jumped out to a 10-2 lead before the first media timeout on a three-point play from Dunn and an aggressive defense that held Gardner-Webb to 1-of-6 shooting from the field in the first four minutes of action.
The Panthers made their first eight two-point attempts before pushing the lead out to 16 points (29-13) on three-point field goals by Austin and Leggett just prior to the under eight timeout. Leggett added a fast break lay-in off a feed from Jaland Lowe to cap off a 13-0 run and give the Panthers at 34-13 edge with 6:34 remaining in the half.
The Pitt offensive attack slowed over the final five minutes of the half as it went 0-of-9 from the field with Gardner-Webb climbing back to a 38-23 deficit at the halftime break.
Leggett (11) and Dunn (10) combined for 21 points in the first half but the Panthers were just 3-of-14 from three-point range. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were held to just 32.1 percent (9-of-28) shooting from the field overall, but managed to go 4-of-9 (.440) from long range.
Corhen scored five straight early in the second half to push the lead back to 19. Gardner-Webb’s zone again slowed the Pitt attack as the Panthers went 0-of-5 on open looks and the Runnin’ Bulldogs chipped away at the lead with a 6-0 run.
Lowe scored on a driving layup with 9:04 left to play and ended a three minute scoring drought to give the Panthers a 57-44 lead. Gardner-Webb answered back with a floater in the lane off a loose ball scramble but Guillermo Diaz Graham brought the crowd back to its feet with a two-hand tip dunk on the next possession to send Pitt into the under eight timeout with a 59-46 lead.
Leggett sparked a 12-0 Pitt run with a pair of threes around a Guillermo Diaz Graham jumper, a pair of free throws from Austin, and a layup by Dunn to give the Panthers a 71-47 lead with 4:38 remaining in the game.
Austin added an alley-oop dunk and Amsal Delalic buried a three-pointer with 3:13 remaining to give Pitt its largest lead of the game at 76-49.
Gardner-Webb hit a pair of threes down the stretch including one with seven seconds remaining for a final scored of 83-64.
Darryl Simmons II led the Runnin’ Bulldogs with 12 points, while Jamaine Mann and Anthony Selden each finished with 10 points. Isaiah Richards had a strong night on the glass for Gardner-Webb with 14 rebounds.
EFFICIENT ISH
Leggett was an efficient 7-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the foul line. He is now averaging 19.7 points per game, while shooting 68.8 percent (22-of-32) from the field on the season.
DOUBLE-FIGURE RUNS
Pitt blew open the game with three runs of 10 or more points. The Panthers used a 10-0 run to jump out to a double-figure lead in the opening five minutes of play. They added a 13-0 run from the 10:56-6:34 mark of the first to push the lead to 21 points.
The Panthers final 12-0 run came in the second half as Pitt pushed its lead back to 24 points with just over four and a half minutes remaining.
TWO-POINT PROWESS
Pitt shot 61.1 percent (22-of-36) on its two-point attempts and scored 38 points in the paint for the game.
UP NEXT
Pitt continues its season opening homestand Friday, Nov. 15 with the Backyard Brawl matchup against West Virginia (8 p.m. – ACC Network Extra). The Panthers won last season’s meeting in Morgantown, 80-63, as Blake Hinson made a school-record nine three-pointers en route to a 29-point night. Guillermo Diaz Graham came off the bench to deliver15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Source: Pitt Athletics