POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (PDF QUOTES)
Pitt-Johnstown had the opportunity to informally open its 2023-24 campaign in an exhibition bout against a Division I program coming off a season in which it claimed a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round.
The Pitt Panthers' unique combination of length and athleticism posed plenty of problems as the Mountain Cats suffered a 96-60 setback on Wednesday night at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. The last time Pitt-Johnstown visited Pitt was exactly five years ago to the day in 2018, meaning the trip to Oakland was a first for the young Mountain Cats, who do not have a senior on their roster.
Unsurprisingly, just a season after earning PSAC West Freshman of the Year and Second-Team All-PSAC West honors, redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Shull paced the Mountain Cats with a game-high 16 points to pair with three rebounds and two assists.
Returning junior guard Ryan Smith recorded 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. In his first collegiate outing, 6-foot-8 freshman forward Gavin Headings impressed in 23 minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
Shull, Smith, Andy Zuchelli, Nick Watts and Will Kromka all started and played at least 21 minutes apiece for Pitt-Johnstown.
A season after finishing second in the PSAC in assist-to-turnover ratio, the Mountain Cats still showed they could take care of the basketball, committing just 10 turnovers while dishing out 15 assists against a high-powered ACC opponent.
Meanwhile, the Panthers had 10 players log at least 10 minutes led by senior forward Blake Hinson and junior guard Ishmael Leggett, who both were on the floor for 25 minutes. Hinson and freshman guard Carlton Carrington, who had seven boards and six assists, each totaled a team-high 13 points.
Shull scratched the scoreboard first for Pitt-Johnstown after knocking down a triple less than three minutes in to trim the deficit to 5-3. But the Panthers strung together a 19-5 run to go up 24-8. Headings responded with a layup, but a 16-8 spurt put Pitt in front 40-18 before carrying a 48-29 lead into intermission.
The Panthers will commence non-conference play at home next Monday at 7 p.m. when they take on North Carolina A&T.
The Mountain Cats open their non-conference slate at the Indiana (PA) University Tip-Off Classic against Notre Dame College (OH) on Friday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m.
