The 87th meeting between Pitt and Duquesne will not go down in the record books as one of the most memorable games between the two programs, in fact this one might need to be forgotten for both sides. Pitt won an “ugly” game 74-54 by out-rebounding the Dukes, hitting free-throws, and grinding it on defense in the second half. The game featured 37 turnovers combined, along with over 30 fouls called between the two teams.
Pitt held Duquesne to just nine second half field goals, and limited the Dukes to 33.3% shooting for the game The 53-points tied for the lowest this Pitt team has allowed this season. Pitt gave up some size to Duquesne, but the Panthers used a team effort to out-rebound the Dukes 42- 33, with Au’Diese Toney leading the way with 9 boards. He also added 7 points.
Trey McGowens led the scoring effort for the Panthers with 14 points, with 10 of those points coming at the free-throw line. His fellow backcourt mate Xavier Johnson added 10, and 8 of those came in the second half. Johnson spent most of the first half on the bench in foul trouble, including picking up his second technical of the year for arguing a non-call on one of his drives. He also recorded 5 assists in the win.
Malik Ellison added 13 points and 5 rebounds, while Jared Wilson-Frame contributed 12 points.
It was not a strong shooting night for Pitt, as the Panthers finished just 3-15 from behind the 3-point line. The Panthers did overcome some sluggish shooting by making foul shots as a team. Pitt went 21-27 from the charity stripe, and that was the main source of offense in the second half before a late game explosion. Pitt hit five consecutive shots to end the game, including an emphatic dunk by Toney and a fadeaway 3-pointer from Wilson-Frame.
With the win Pitt improves to 55-32 all-time against Duquesne in the City Game. Pitt has now won 17 of the last 18 meetings. Pitt improves to 7-1 on the season and will return to action on Monday when Niagara comes to the Petersen Events Center. Pitt is off to its best start since 2012-13 season when the Panthers opened the year with a 12-1 record.
