Pittsburgh, Pa. - Tray Woodall scored a career-high 25 points and Ashton Gibbs scored 15 of his 21 points in the opening half to lead nationally-ranked Pittsburgh to an 89-56 victory over UAlbany in the season opener for both teams on Friday, Nov. 11 at Petersen Events Center.
     The Panthers, ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today rankings, sped to an early 23-8 advantage by making 10 of their opening 15 field goal attempts. Lamar Patterson nailed a three-pointer from the right corner off an inbounds pass to ignite a run of seven unanswered. Dante Taylor, a 6-foot-9 junior, made a jump hook and Gibbs canned a jumper following a Great Dane turnover.
     After UAlbany's Logan Aronhalt made a 22-foot jumper, Pitt scored 11 of the game's next 13 points. Woodall, a junior guard who also handed out 10 assists, connected on a bank shot from the right side in transition and John Johnson converted a layup off a miscue. Gibbs later set up Patterson for a 3-pointer, before making a spinning shot in the lane for a 34-13 margin.
     The Great Danes, who were opening with a Big East Conference program for the third time in the last four years, came back with their best stretch of the period. Gerardo Suero, who had 12 of his 17 points in the half, knifed his way to the basket and made two free throws that kept his team within 41-24. But Gibbs and Woodall each drilled three-point shots to give their team a 21-point cushion at the intermission.
     The Panthers, who shot 54 percent from the field, including 13-of-22 from the three-point arc, staying in control throughout the second half. Woodall, who connected on 9-of-13 from the field and five 3-pointers, was on display. He hit a one-handed bank shot for his team's 70th point and followed with a long-distance shot from the right wing for a commanding 75-45 lead.
     "Pitt is good and they shot the ball tremendously well," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team was opening its 13th season at the Division I level. "They play great defense and are physical. We knew our offense was ahead of our defense. We are not where we need to be. We must play better team defense and communicate."
     Aronhalt and Mike Black were the other UAlbany players in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Great Danes, who dropped their fifth consecutive season lid-lifter, shot just above 43 percent from the field.

Paw Prints: Pittsburgh captured last year's Big East Conference regular-season crown and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive season ... the Panthers has won 57 consecutive non-conference games and are 150-12 at home in the Petersen Events Center ... the Great Danes met the fifth-highest ranked opponent in program history and face a nationally-ranked squad for the first time since North Carolina in December 2009 ... UAlbany will play in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off on Nov. 14-15 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

#10 Pittsburgh 89, UAlbany 56 (Nov. 11, 2011 at Pittsburgh, PA)

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Albany 56

PITT 89