Pitt Obliterates Rival West Virginia in Victory

The Pitt Panthers obliterated West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.

Nov 15, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Ishmael Leggett (5) drives to the basket against West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers obliterated their rival West Virginia in a comprehensive 86-62 victory at the Petersen Events Center in the Backyard Brawl.

Pitt improves to 4-0 on the season with the win, defeating Radford in a blowout in the season opener on Nov. 4, 96-56, outlasting Murray State on Nov. 8, 83-68, and earning a good win vs. Gardner Webb on Nov. 11, 83-64, with all three wins coming at home.

The Panthers also make it back-to-back seasons with wins over the Mountaineers (2-1), as they won 80-63 in Morgantown, W.Va. on Dec. 6, 2023, thanks to a program record nine 3-pointers from Blake Hinson.

This is also the first home Backyard Brawl win for the Panthers since Feb. 24, 2011, when the No. 4 team in the country easily defeated the Mountaineers, 71-58. It ends a streak of four losses at the Petersen Events Cetner to their rival, which happened in 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2022.

Pitt also gets their biggest win in the Backyard Brawl since they defeated WVU, 82-46 on Feb. 12, 2003.

West Virginia kept it close early on, down just four six minutes in, but an 8-0 run gave Pitt a 20-8 lead. Pitt would continue to extend their lead, getting up to 35-14 at the under-8 media timeout.

Junior forward Guillermo Diaz Graham and graduate student guard Damian Dunn hit two 3-pointers each, while junior forward Cameron Corhen made two baskets inside.

Pitt wouldn't have as much success to end the first half, but two free throws from Corhen, a mid-range jumper from senior guard Ish Leggett and an alley-oop from sophomore guard Jaland Lowe to Dunn put them up 44-22 over West Virginia.

WVU struggled shooting the ball mightily in the first half, 10-for-30, 33.3% from the floor and 2-for-13, 15.4% from 3-point range. Pitt countered this with

The Panthers stayed in control in the seond half, with Dunn playing incredibly well, as he made two 3-pointers and converted an and-one layup opportunity to increase the lead to 64-36 with 12 minutes to go.

Pitt would continue to improve upon their lead, going up 69-41 at the under-8 timeout and 80-51 at the under-4 timeout en route to their resounding victory.

Panthers head coach Jeff Capel made sure to get in his bench players some minutes, with freshmen in guards Brandin "Beebah" Cummings and Amsal Delalić and forward Papa Amadou Kante, plus junior forward Jorge Diaz Graham and redshirt freshman forward Marlon Barnes Jr.

Pitt will look to stay undefeated as they host VMI on Nov. 18 with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off

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