Pitt’s first test against a high-major team didn’t go well, as the Panthers struggled against Florida in a 15-point loss Wednesday night.

In the consolation final of the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon, Pitt looked much better, dominating the boards and getting production from unlikely sources to take a 76-51 win over Oregon State.

After trailing Florida for the final 16-plus minutes on Wednesday night, Pitt was ahead of Oregon State from almost the start on Friday afternoon, taking a 3-2 lead 67 seconds into the game and never looking back, pushing the lead to 16 points in the first half before taking a 12-point advantage into halftime.

The Panthers were led in the first half by Zack Austin, the High Point transfer who entered Friday having shot 2-of-16 from three in the first five games but drained three from deep in the first five minutes against Oregon State.

Austin put up 10 points in the first half, and he would add nine more in the second half, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor, 3-6 from three and 6-of-8 from the free throw line to score a game-high 19 points.

Austin was also Pitt’s leading rebounder with eight boards, and that helped the Panthers out-rebound the Beavers 44-31. That performance included one of Pitt’s biggest advantages in the game: offensive rebounds.

The Panthers grabbed 17 rebounds on the offensive end and turned those into 27 second-chance points.

Austin wasn’t the only less-heralded scorer to put up points on Friday afternoon. Center Federiko Federiko put up 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line.

The production from Austin and Federiko was necessary, as Pitt’s two leading scorers struggled, at least in the first half. Senior forward Blake Hinson and freshman guard Bub Carrington made just three baskets before halftime despite hoisting 13 shots, and neither hit a three-point field goal in the first 20 minutes.

Hinson did come alive in the second half, making 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 from three to finish with a solid 17, but Carrington never got going and scored just five points in the win, although he did have six rebounds and five assists.

The win improved the Panthers to 5-1 on the season. They’ll head back to Pittsburgh and host Missouri on Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center. The Tigers are currently 4-2 with a home game against Loyola (Md.) scheduled for Saturday morning.