Young, Benjamin propel No.20 Pittsburgh over South Florida
Pittsburgh may be without Levance Fields and Mike Cook, but they still have Sam Young and Keith Benjamin. And that aint too bad. Young and Benjamin combined for 42 points (Young 22, Benjamin 20) to help No.20 Pittsburgh knock off South Florida 79-66 on Wednesday night.
Young scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half for Pittsburgh (13-2, 2-1), and Benjamin scored 11 in the first frame. Pittsburgh led at the half 40-33, and then busted the game wide open, using a 19-6 run to blow by the Bulls. Down to only nine players due to the injuries, Pittsburgh’s bench got a nice lift from Gary McGhee, who had six points off the bench. Pittsburgh’s largest lead came with just over four minutes to play in the game, 73-56. The Panthers took great care of the basketball, only committing 10 turnovers, while shooting 53 percent from the field.
Kentrell Gransberry finished with a game-high 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Jesus Verdejo added 17 points for South Florida (10-6, 1-2). The Bulls had won three straight before dropping their last two games to Syracuse and Pitt.
You have to admire the way head coach Jamie Dixon has this Pittsburgh team playing. They’re not crying or pouting, or making excuses because of the injuries. They’re just putting their heads down and keep plowing through, and competing.
Next up for Pittsburgh, they’ll host Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. South Florida will also return to action on Saturday, a road tilt versus Providence at 4 p.m.
Tags: Big East Basketball, NCAA Men's basketball, Pittsburgh Panthers, South Florida Bulls