There was no looking ahead to Christmas for the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-3) on Thursday night, as they put away the New Orleans Privateers (5-5) early on. The freshman trio of Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens, and Au’Diese Toney outscored the entire New Orleans team in the first half, 39-26, and ultimately for the game. As a team, Pitt scored 19 points off turnovers in the first half, and didn’t allow the Privateers an attempt from the charity stripe on route to a 52-26 halftime lead.
The Panthers relied on the 2-3 zone and were able to get their hands on nearly every pass attempt, and curtailed players looking to drive.