Hot-Shooting Pitt Downs Blue Hens, 85-59, in NIT Season Tip-Off Consolation Game
November 23, 2012
Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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NEW YORK -- University of Pittsburgh forwards Talib Zanna and Lamar Patterson each posted a double-double as the Panthers jumped out to a big first half lead and went on to defeat the University of Delaware men’s basketball team, 85-59, Friday afternoon in the NIT Season Tip-Off consolation game at Madison Square Garden.
The Panthers, who are receiving votes in both of this week’s national Top 25 polls, improved to 5-1 on the season.
Delaware, which was playing its first ever games at Madison Square Garden this week, dropped to 2-3 while facing its second consecutive opponent which was receiving votes.
Pitt connected on 33 of 56 shots from the field for a 58.9 shooting percentage, and also went 15 of 17 from the free throw line in the dominating offensive performance.
The Panthers recorded assists on 25 of their baskets, including a game-high seven from Tray Woodall, and turned the ball over just six times. Zanna led five Pitt players in double figures with 18 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Patterson added 16 points and also collected 10 boards during the contest.
Steven Adams contributed 13 points and three blocks for Pitt, Woodall also had 13 points, and J.J. Moore was the fifth Panther in double digits with 10 points.
Blue Hen junior guard Devon Saddler (at right), who tied his career-high with 32 points during Wednesday’s loss to Kansas State, added 28 on Friday as he went 10 of 20 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the foul line.
Sophomore guard Kyle Anderson (at left) scored 10 points to reach double figures for the first time this season, while redshirt freshman Marvin King-Davis contributed a career-best seven points to go with four rebounds and three blocks.
“Congratulations to Pitt, that was one of the more astounding offensive performances we’ve seen against us,” said seventh-year Blue Hen head coach Monté Ross. “One of our keys was to make then beat us with outside jump shots, and we didn’t do a good job of that in the first half. Obviously by the final score we didn’t play well, but we did a much better job of just playing in the second half.”
Delaware, which fell to 0-10-against teams in the Big East Conference, played without senior starting forward Josh Brinkley, who missed the game with a right ankle injury.
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Pitt jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, including the first six points by Zanna, before Jarvis Threatt put the Blue Hens on the board with a jumper at the 15:14 mark. However the Panthers continued to get easy baskets inside, as a layup by Dante Taylor increased the margin to 20-4 with 11:09 left in the opening half.
Saddler scored inside and later added a pair of free throws, but Pitt’s Durand Johnson hit a jumper and Moore connected on a free throw to make it a 26-8 game with 7:28 to play.
The lead grew to as much as 21 in the half at 34-13, before Saddler scored on a driving layup with 3:22 remaining.
Anderson then drained three-pointers on consecutive possessions for Delaware, but Woodall answered with a triple at the other end to make it a 41-21 game at the break.
The Panthers, who connected on nine of their first 11 shots from the field, hit 17 of their 26 field goal attempts in the opening period for a 65.4 percentage. Meanwhile the Blue Hens were just 8 of 27 from the field, shooting 29.6 percent for the half.
Delaware opened the second half by scoring on its first three possessions but the Blue Hens could not stop the Panthers, who scored on six of their first seven trips of the stanza and increased the margin to 54-31 on a three-pointer by Patterson with 15:19 to go.
UD brought the deficit under 20 when Saddler hit a tough leaner and then added four foul shots to make it 54-37 with 13:54 left. Zanna answered with two free throws and a transition dunk for the Panthers, but Saddler countered with a pair of contested layups to cut the Panthers’ advantage to 58-41 at the 11:21 mark.
The Blue Hens had a chance to further cut into the lead following a Pitt miss, but Terrell Rogers’ three-pointer rimmed out and the Panthers quickly went on an 8-2 spurt to go up 66-43 with 8:55 remaining.
The lead grew to as much as 26 points, before Jamelle Hagins connected with a foul line jumper and Saddler drained a three-pointer as Delaware closed within 74-53 with four minutes left. But the Blue Hens would get no closer the rest of the way.
Delaware continues its challenging stretch on Sunday when the Blue Hens travel to Philadelphia to take on Atlantic 10 foe Temple at 2 p.m.
