Pitt Basketball Grinds Out Win Over Murray State: 3 Takeaways

Pitt basketball had to fight for all 40 minutes in its second game of the season. Despite the unexpected grind, the Panthers came out on top over Murray State 83-68.

The opening half started with a handful of runs. Pitt scored the first five points of the contest with buckets from Cam Corhen and Jaland Lowe. After the Racers scored five of the next points, the Panthers fought back into the game as transfer Damian Dunn found his rhythm early on. Poor defense kept Murray State in the game, but Lowe sunk a huge three pointer that gave Pitt a 41-39 lead going into the locker room.

Murray State continued to fight well into the second half as the Panthers struggled to find any sort of edge. Kylen Milton and JaCobi Wood kept Pitt on its toes defensively. It wasn’t until the final 7:30 of the second half that the Panthers separated themselves with a pair of free throws from Lowe and never looked back to cap off the 15-point win.

Takeaway #1: Second-half defensive resurgence provides optimism

While there were moments of poor defense in the Radford game, they didn’t stick out like a sore thumb the way they did Friday night against Murray State. The Panthers were up by as many as 12 midway through the first half and allowed the Racers to get back into the game. This run of poor defense continued for the rest of the half.

“I thought more than anything we hurt us,” said Jeff Capel postgame. “Defensively, we didn’t play as hard and smart as we normally do.”

Moments like these are growing pains for a Pitt team that is still coming together. In the same breath though, they need to be treated as a wake-up call. Friday night’s game was a much-needed wake-up call as the Panthers conceded just three points on foul shots in the final 7:45 of the game. There was one small adjustment defensively that had a huge impact.

“We just had to talk more,” said Corhen. “The only time we were messing up in switches, both people weren’t talking, and we just got confused. They weren’t running anything that was necessarily crazy, we just didn’t talk through it.”

Finding a way to bounce back and make a statement like that will certainly please Capel despite lackluster effort at times.

Takeaway #2: Damian Dunn provides depth scoring for the Panthers

Lowe and Ishmael Leggett are the focal points of Pitt’s offense. While both of them played huge roles in the win over Murray State, Dunn stepped up in a moment where it mattered.

He produced 19 points against the Racers highlighted by his 3-5 night from behind the arc. This was a big step up for Dunn compared to Monday night against Radford. Without his strong shooting tonight, Pitt walks away embarrassed on its home court.

For Dunn, it was about having a strong mindset that made all the difference.

“Just coming into the game and just telling myself to be aggressive,” said Dunn. “Doing my best to assert myself early on in the game and potentially open up space for my teammates to make plays at the end of the day… Everybody’s going to eat, so it’s just a matter of fact that when it’s your time, it’s your time.”

There’s a long way to go between now and March, but the Panthers are going to need Dunn to feast quite frequently this season if they hope to go further in the ACC Tournament and get back into March Madness.

Takeaway #3: Brandin Cummings is making a huge impact from the bench

It’s only a matter of time before Brandin “Beebah” Cummings gets a chance to make his first start for the Panthers. In both games this season, he’s been involved in huge stretches of play. Particularly against Murray State, he filled in well when Lowe was dealing with foul trouble. Lowe was also very complimentary of him after the Radford game.

The box score won’t show how much of an impact Beebah had on the game. Some of his biggest plays won’t show up on the score sheet, but they made a difference against the Racers.

“I told him after the game he had a huge impact on the game and not one thing came from him taking a shot,” said Capel. “It was him driving and kicking to the open guy, making the right play… two passes gave us a little bit of a cushion. Guys understand they can have an impact, and you never know when your number is going to be called.”

Cummings can expect his number to be called a lot more as he continues to grow and develop at the college level. The Panthers have another star in the making.

Next up for Pitt (2-0): vs. Gardner Webb (1-1) – Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. EST

Next Game for Murray State (1-1): at Middle Tennessee State (0-0) – Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. EST