PITTSBURGH,PA – Justin Champagnie had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Pittsburgh to a 79-53 rout of Binghamton on Friday.
“It was a good win for us heading into the holiday.” Said Pitt Head Coach Jeff Capel “I thought we did some good things in this game. We played, I would assume, 38 minutes against the zone, so we got a chance to work against zone. I like some of the things that we did. I thought after the first four minutes of the first half, we were really good for the rest of the half.”
Champagnie, a freshman, recorded his second double-double while shooting 7 of 14 from the floor. The Panthers started the game 0 for 5 from the floor but responded to shoot 44% on the night and did not trail after the first six minutes of the game.
“I thought the last game was really big for him but especially in the second half, to see the ball go into the basket.” Capel said of Champagnie “You know, he had had two games prior to that where he had no field goals and that’s after winning the MVP down in Florida. For any player, but especially a freshman, that can mess with you. His teammates do a good job giving him confidence.”
Trey McGowens had 13 points and hit 2 of 5 from 3-point range. Ryan Murphy had 11 points and was 3 of 7 from beyond the arc. Pitt had 15 steals and Binghamton turned the ball over 26 times, resulting in 30 points for the Panthers.
Pitt held the opposition to 60 points or fewer for the eighth time this season, improving to 8-0 on the season in those games. The Panthers also held Binghamton to 39.3 percent from the field, marking the ninth time this season the opposition has shot below 40% from the field.
“We’ve just tried to get better each day and I think we have. I don’t know what my expectations were. I don’t know if I went into it thinking, ‘Okay, at Christmas, I want to be this.’” Said Capel “I mean, I wanted to be undefeated, so I didn’t have a number because I never think about us losing. But where we are, as far as how we’ve progressed, I like where we are. We still have a way to go. That’s exciting to me. We haven’t hit a ceiling yet and hopefully we can attack this and continue to get better”
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms scored 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting to lead the Bearcats. He was 5 of 11 from 3-point range. The rest of his team was 3 for 19.
“I’m happy we’re 9-3 headed into the break against a challenging schedule for where we are as a program right now.” Said Capel “I’m proud of our guys. This is a great break for us to get away for a few days to hopefully get refreshed and ready to come back and tackle this last non- conference game. Attack it and then get ready for conference play.”
BIG PICTURE
Binghamton: Despite the loss, Binghamton showed improvement from the last time they played a major-conference opponent. The Bearcats lost to Michigan by 53 in their second game of the season on Nov. 10.
Pitt: The Panthers entered the game tied for 342nd in the country in 3-point shooting percentage at 25.7%. Johnson, McGowens and Murphy represent Pitt’s best chance at reversing that trend, and they each had above-average shooting nights from long range for the first time this season.
UP NEXT
Binghamton: Will finish its nonconference schedule with a home game against Division III Hartwick College on Dec. 29. The Bearcats are 4-1 at home this season.
Pitt: Wraps four-game homestead against Canisius on Dec. 30 to finish nonconference play. Pitt is 1-2 all-time against Canisius, but the teams have not played since 1978.
Please e-mail Ray at [email protected]
Follow him @urbanmediaRay on twitter
www.PittsburghPanthers.com
