Maryland-Eastern Shore started Saturday’s game with five quick points to grab an early lead over the Panthers. That lead was short-lived, however. Pitt went on a 26-3 run to assert control on the way to a 78-43 win over the Hawks.

Pitt improves to 8-3 on the season and snapped a two-game losing streak. The Panthers also tie last season’s win total. Senior guard Jared Wilson-Frame led the way with a double-double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Terrell Brown chipped in with 10 points and 4 rebounds himself.

Maryland-Eastern Shore falls to 1-10 on the season after playing a pretty challenging non-conference schedule to date. The Panthers’ defense limited leading-scorer Ryan Andino to just six points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field. Tyler Jones and A.J. Cheeseman led the way with 16 points apiece.

The Panthers outscored the Hawks 40-26 in the second half. Pitt opened the half on a quick 9-0 run sparked by Xavier Johnson to open up the lead to 47-17. That run forced Maryland-Eastern Shore coach Clifford Reed to call a timeout just three minutes into the second half as the Hawks never were able to get the score much closer the rest of the way.

Pitt was able to play all 13 players that dressed in this one, with eleven different players finding the scoring column. After seeing their playing time diminish significantly from last season, Khameron Davis and Shamiel Stevenson both received significant playing time on Saturday. Davis finished with 6 points and three assists, along with a positive impact on the defensive side of the ball. Stevenson contributed 6 points.

The freshmen trio of Johnson, Trey McGowens, and Au’Dies Toney had a quiet collective effort, with 23 points between the three players. Johnson hit a layup with 5 minutes left to get himself to ten points, and he finished with a team-high 12. He has now reached double-figures in all 11 games of his career.

The Panthers will return to action on Thursday night against New Orleans at 7:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt has just two non-conference games remaining before ACC play begins on January 5th against 12th-ranked North Carolina.