National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Pittsburgh 86, West Virginia 62
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, November 15, 2024
Where: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Officials: # Brian O'Connell, # Bert Smith, # Gregory Nixon
Attendance: 10744

It was a one-sided Backyard Brawl in Pittsburgh Friday night with Damian Dunn's 23 points leading the Pitt Panthers over the West Virginia Mountaineers 86-62.

Dunn along with Ishmael Leggett and Guillermo Diaz Graham took control for Pitt (4-0) offensively and defensively, with Leggett scoring 15 points and Diaz Graham adding 10 points and 10 rebounds. Overall, four starters for Pittsburgh scored at least 10 points, with only 16 points coming off the bench.

In the first 36 seconds, Diaz Graham was almost out for the game when Amani Hansberry elbowed him in the lip, resulting in a flagrant foul for Hansberry and two stitches for Diaz Graham. The Spanish forward returned and led the Panthers in a rout of the Mountaineers (2-1).

Pittsburgh excelled even with a smaller bench, rotating only two players in consistently until late in the game. The Panthers held their composure too, not needing much rotation. When Pitt got to the line, they shot 76.9 percent.

Pitt's student section named the Oakland Zoo was loud, chirping at opponents and letting every WVU player know when they made a mistake, and there were mistakes for the Mountaineers with the Big 12 side missing their first eight shots from deep to start the game.

The Panthers outshot the Mountaineers 48.3 percent to 38.7 percent, with leading WVU scorer Tucker DeVries going 2-of-10 from the floor, scoring six points after averaging 17.5 points per game entering Friday. DeVries fouled out with 4:20 remaining in the second half.

Leading the West Virginia scoring instead was bench forward Jonathan Powell, who scored 16 points and added three rebounds. Powell was the only scorer for the Mountaineers to hit more than one 3-pointer and one of two to score double-digit points. Javon Small led the starters in scoring with 12 points and two assists.

With the win, Pittsburgh has its first consecutive wins in the Backyard Brawl rivalry since 2011 and 2012. Also, it's the first time the Panthers won a brawl on their home court since Feb. 24, 2011.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
West Virginia   Pittsburgh
Jonathan Powell 16 Scoring Damian Dunn 23
Eduardo Andre 2 Assists Jaland Lowe 5
Sencire Harris 6 Rebounds Guillermo Diaz Graham 10
Sencire Harris 2 Free Throws Made Damian Dunn 5
Tucker DeVries 2 Steals Jaland Lowe 2
Eduardo Andre 2 Blocks Zack Austin 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
West Virginia 62 38.7 6-29 8-15 10 29 5 6 8
Pittsburgh 86 48.3 10-27 20-26 13 39 3 3 11