PITTSBURGH — On Monday night, Pitt pulled away in the late stages of the first half of its game against Radford, cruising to a season-opening victory on its home court by a score of 96-56.
Ishmael Leggett opened the game’s scoring with a layup, patiently stepping through the lane to find open space in the paint. Shortly after, returning forward Guillermo Diaz Graham tossed an alley-oop up to newcomer Cam Corhen, and the Panthers were off and running.
After Radford scrapped its way to a four-point deficit with 6:28 remaining in the half, another layup off the hands of Leggett kickstarted a massive 19-3 run for the Panthers. To close out the half, Lowe cleared out the rest of the Panthers on the floor, and as time expired, hit a step-back three pointer to take an 18-point lead into the break. The two guards combined for 22 points, ten rebounds, and five assists in the first half alone, including a loud, two-handed put-back slam off the hands of Leggett.
Leggett and Lowe started the game for Pitt alongside Corhen, Diaz Graham, and Houston transfer Damian Dunn. Zack Austin and Brandin “Beebah” Cummings were the first two off the bench for Jeff Capel’s Panthers. Cummings, just minutes into his college debut, scored his first career points on a smooth up-and-under layup off a pass from Lowe.
In the second half, Dunn hit his first three pointer as a member of the Pitt program, and Diaz Graham followed it up with a three of his own. Pitt continued to overpower the Highlanders behind a red-hot Leggett, who stepped into a three pointer with just over 14 minutes to go, giving him 17 points on an excellent 8-for-10 shooting.
Corhen offered the Panthers something new inside — an option to feed the post and get a bucket. The Florida State transfer proved effective on the interior to the tune of 6-for-10 shooting, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
Leggett and Lowe finished as Pitt’s two leading scorers, finishing with 19 and 21 points, respectively. Lowe set a new career high in scoring with the performance. Dunn and Corhen followed behind, scoring 11 and 12 points. Diaz Graham added ten, and the rookie, Cummings, scored 11. Leggett posted a double-double, finishing with a team-best 12 rebounds.
As a team, Pitt shot 55% from the field and 35% from three-point range.
12 different players scored for Darris Nichols’ Radford squad in the loss. TJ NeSmith led the way on an efficient scoring night, while Zion Walker, Brandon Maclin, and Ibu Yamazaki followed behind.
Pitt emptied the bench in the win, and redshirt freshman Papa Amadou Kante earned his first minutes and points in a Pitt uniform. Kante scored four in the win. In addition, freshman Amdy Ndiaye scored two points in the final seconds.
With the win, Pitt advances to 1-0 on the season. The Panthers will have a few days to rest and prepare for their next game, which comes on Friday against Murray State. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center on Friday, Nov. 8.
Well winning in a blowout fashion definitely helps. Hopefully this team has a good chemistry which will transition into wins. H2P!