Pitt Opens Season with Blue and Gold Madness Featuring Wiz Khalifa
[PITTSBURGH,PA]– The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team tipped off the 2019-20 season with a 15-minute scrimmage Friday evening as part of Blue and Gold Madness. Following the tightly contested scrimmage that saw the Gold squad come away with a 31-28 victory, Pittsburgh native and multi-platinum selling, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated recording artist Wiz Khalifa performed in
front of a crowd of nearly 4,200 fans.
Pittsburgh Steelers James Conner and Ryan Shazier served as honorary coaches for the scrimmage, while former Pitt standouts DeJuan Blair, Carl Krauser, Chevy Troutman, Ronald Ramon, Mike Cook and Julius Page were also at the Petersen Events Center and sat on the team benches during the scrimmage.
Graduate transfer Eric Hamilton posted a double-figure scoring night while splitting time between the Blue and Gold squads. He racked up 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in 7:47 minutes of action with the Blue team. Hamilton had a pair of acrobatic finishes around the rim and played with terrific energy on both ends of the floor.
Xavier Johnson paced the Gold team with eight points, four rebounds and two assists. He continued to show the ability to get to basket at will and brought the crowd to its feet with a long step back jumper that nearly sent his defender sprawling to the floor with a lethal crossover dribble. Fellow sophomore backcourt mate Trey McGowens also tallied eight points while splitting time between the two teams.
(Photo Credit: Vince Butts -UMT Sports)
Freshman Karim Coulibaly finished with seven points, six rebounds and a blocked shot. He grabbed four offensive rebounds in the 15-minute scrimmage and showed his willingness to run the floor and battle on the interior. Gerald Drumgoole, Jr., made his Petersen Events Center debut with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field to go along with three rebounds. Ryan Murphy went 2-of-3 from three-point range in just under seven minutes of action with the Gold squad, while Au’Diese Toney closed with four points and three rebounds.
Pitt will play Slippery Rock in an exhibition contest Wednesday, Oct. 30 before opening the season Wednesday, Nov. 6 against ACC foe Florida State (8 p.m. – ESPNU) at the Petersen Events Center. Season tickets, mini plans and single game tickets can be purchased online HERE or by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-7488.
www.PittsburghPanthers.com
