Jeff Capel’s first game as head coach at Pitt ended in a win, as the Panthers beat Youngstown State 69-53 Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt got off to a slow start, missing six consecutive shots as the Panthers’ young guards adjusted to playing against more size and talent than they saw in last week’s exhibition game against Pitt-Johnstown.

But freshman Au’Diese Toney broke that streak with the team’s first basket, and after fellow freshman Xavier Johnson added another one two minutes later, the Panthers took a 4-2 lead and never looked back.

Pitt went into halftime with a slim three-point lead at 27-24, due in part to outside shooting issues. The Panthers missed all five of their three-point attempts in the first half and the first two deep shots of the second half before freshman Xavier Johnson drained one with 8:45 left in the game.

Pitt finished with two three-pointers on 11 attempts; Johnson had one and Malik Ellison made the other. They were among four Pitt players who scored in double figures, led by freshman Trey McGowens, who scored a game-high 17 points.

Johnson scored 16 in his NCAA debut, while Ellison added 13 and Toney had 12. The freshman nearly produced a double-double, adding nine rebounds to his 12 points. Johnson also had six assists.

The Panthers shot 27-of-55 from the floor against YSU and hit 13 free throws on 22 attempts.

Pitt was playing without last season’s leading scored, senior Jared Wilson-Frame, who averaged 13 points per game a year ago but was suspended for Tuesday night’s game due to an unspecified violation of team rules. The violation apparently took place in the spring, and Wilson-Frame is expected to be available on Friday night when Pitt hosts VMI.

With Wilson-Frame out of the mix, the Panthers started three freshmen against YSU: Johnson, McGowens and Toney. Ellison and Terrell Brown rounded out the starting lineup.