On Monday, as the Panthers take on Gannon in an exhibition contest, follow along with Pittsburgh Sports Now’s live blog for updates throughout the game.
FINAL: 89-64 Pitt Wins over Gannon
Pitt takes the W, overpowering Gannon in the second half behind Mo Gueye, Femi Odukale, and Ithiel Horton.
2:19, 81-59 Pitt
Nate Santos hit his first two buckets in a Pitt uniform, one being a three from the corner.
7:16: 68-49, Pitt
Mo Gueye is the story of this one. Leading the team with 17 points, Gueye has been as efficient as they come on offense, going 6 of 8 from the floor.
10:30: 62-43, Pitt leads
In just 1:20, Pitt goes on a 9-0 run. Jeffress is starting to look comfortable offensively and Gueye continues to shoot the ball well. The big man hits another three to bring his total up to 14 (5-6 FG).
11:50 Media Timeout: Pitt 53, Gannon 43
William Jeffress has hit the score sheet, making a put-back dunk and most recently an and-one layup inside.
Odukale and Horton have 14 each, and Gueye has 11. Hugley is converting on his free-throws after a slow start from the line, and is now 6-of-11 from the FT line.
18:34: Femi Show
Odukale just made the play of the game, pulling a filthy hesitation fake at the top of the key, driving past his defender, and finishing an and-one lay-up in traffic. He converted the free throw to bring his total to 14 points.
HALF:
Sibande did not run out with the team for the second half.
HALF: Pitt 36, Gannon 27
Horton: 12 pts, 4 rebounds. 4-7 FG. 2-3 3FG
- Horton is shooting the ball well and leading the team in points so far. Knocked down a few floaters as well as two three-pointers. Four rebounds too.
Odukale: 11 pts, 2 assists, 2 rebounds. 4-5 FG, 1-1 3FG
- Odukale has been one of the best overall players for Pitt in the first half, scoring and setting up his teammates efficiently.
Gueye: 7 pts, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks.
- Gueye has been as good as advertised coming out of Stony Brook. He is comfortable shooting from outside and his shot-blocking will heavily impact games this year.
Hugley: 4 points, 6 rebounds. 1-5 FG, 2-7 FT, 4 TO.
- Hugley is getting the ball down low on the smaller defenders but is struggling to finish through contact and take care of the ball. His four turnovers lead the game.
Other news:
Nike Sibande has not returned to the Pitt bench yet. Went to the locker room after tweaking his ankle.
Jeffress, Hugley, Payton, Santos are a combined 0-5 from three.
Both teams are playing sloppy basketball. Gannon is shooting 27% from the field and 28% from 3-point land, so as long as the Panthers keep contesting the Golden Knights’ shots, they should come out on top. However, Capel would like to see some more ball security and some better shot selection in the second half.
1:36: 34-22 Pitt. Hugley struggling to hold on to the ball.
John Hugley is leading the game with four turnovers after two back-to-back TOs on both ends of the floor. On the first one, he tried to throw it off the opposition and bounce it out of bounds, but missed. On the second, he got a big rebound but then threw it away when looking for Onye Ezeakudo.
4:38: 30-22, Pitt
Odukale missed an outside jumper, Ithiel Horton knocked down two free throws, bringing his point total to 12.
Panthers only have three turnovers, but are playing pretty sloppy ball on offense.
6:50: 26-18, Pitt Leads. Small Lineup on the floor for Pitt, Gannon heating up
Capel is going with Odukale, Jeffress, Horton, Payton, and Collier
Ithiel Horton knocked down another three, bringing his total to 10 points.
Gannon is also heating up from downtown, as they are now 4-12 from deep.
10:13: 20-9, Pitt
Gannon has shifted into a 2-3 zone on defense, and the Panthers have slowed down on offense.
Nike Sibande just walked off the court with a bit of a limp into the locker room.
11:49: 19-9 Pitt
Onye Ezeakudo checked in for Odukale, and minutes later took a charge which fired up Jeff Capel and the fans in the Pete.
Odukale and Gueye leading the way with five apiece, Horton with four, Hugley with three.
13:56: 17-6 Pitt
Noah Collier is 2-4 from the FT line after getting fouled down low twice. Oladapo checked in for the first time, and Mo Gueye knocked down a corner three. Odukale followed it up with a three of his own with a hand in his face.
15:55: First Media Timeout Stats
Horton: 4 points
Odukale: 2 points
Gueye: 2 points (2-2 FT), 2 rebounds
- Had a nice block, showing off his length. Runs the floor like a guard
16:25: Horton With a Strong Start
Ithiel Horton has two floaters so far and is leading the game with four points early on.
17:03: Noah Collier Checks in
Collier is the first Panther off the bench, subbing in for John Hugley.
Pregame
6:49: Pitt Takes the Floor Led by Onye Ezeakudo
6:38: Starting Lineup
Femi Odukale, Ithiel Horton, Nike Sibande, Mo Gueye, and John Hugley will be starting for the Panthers tonight, according to StatBroadcast.
6:01: No Sign of Jamarius Burton in early warmups
Burton was not expected to be back in time for this one, and by the looks of it he will not be playing tonight.
