Pitt Wraps Up Non-Conference Play with 68-54 win vs. Colgate
(Pittsburgh, PA) Five Pittsburgh players cracked double figures as the Panthers got into double digits in the win column with a 68-54 victory over Colgate on Saturday afternoon. Pitt improved to 10-3 to close non-conference play after winning just eight games all season in 2017-18.
“It was a tale of two halves for us.” Said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel “I thought that we played really well in the first half. I thought that we played really hard. Defense was really good. I thought that we shared the ball offensively. The only negative for the first half, and it carried over through the game, was rebounding.”
Freshman guard Trey McGowens led the way with 16 points, with Jared Wilson-Frame (15), Au’Diese Toney (14), Xavier Johnson (11) and Terrell Brown (10) joining him in double figures.
“I thought that Khameron Davis’ energy in the second half was really good and I thought that Trey McGowens at the end of the game to close the game out with the point for us was really good.”-Said Capel.
Brown also added nine rejections to go along with his 10 points, setting a new program record for blocks in a game. The previous school record was seven blocks. “Really happy for Terrell Brown to set the school record for blocked shots.” Said Capel. “I thought, especially in the first half, that he came in and really gave us a presence on both ends. He had seven of those nine in the first half.”
Colgate (8-5) got out to a strong start, and led by a point with nearly seven minutes gone by in the first half. A 9-0 Pitt run over the next three minutes, sparked by seven points from Wilson- Frame, ended any hopes of a Raiders upset. Pitt went into the half with a 19-point lead and extended it in the second period.
Junior guard Will Rayman led Colgate with 10 points, eight of which came in the first half. The Raiders shot a season-low 30.0 percent from the floor. “Their three best players, that were all averaging double figures, had 10, five and seven.” Said Capel. “The kid that was averaging 17 had seven. The kid that had 10, Will Rayman, took him 22 shots to get it. So, that part was good.”
Pitt: Has a week off before beginning ACC play by hosting North Carolina on Jan. 5. “I think that we’ve done some good things. I think that we’ve improved from game one to game 13, which just finished.” Said Capel “I think that some guys individually have gotten better and collectively as a group we’ve gotten better. I think that our defense, for the most part, has been pretty good. I think that we have been streaky offensively. We need to become more consistent there and I love how hard our guys have played with the exception of one game. We did some good things, proud of how we closed 2018 out. We’ll recover and get a little rest, get back
to work on Monday and start getting prepared for ACC play.”
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