Pitt keeps improving in second exhibition

With the season opener less than a week away, the 2009-10 Pitt men’s basketball team held its final tune-up of the exhibition schedule Sunday afternoon and took care of business rather handily, facing little opposition from Division II Coker College in a 83-40 rout at the Petersen Events Center.

Despite the lop-sided scoring advantage - as well as advantages in every other statistical category - Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon was more interested in the big-picture progress his team has shown over the past three-plus weeks.

“Our big thing this week was ‘Sunday to Sunday;’ we talked to our guys about how we were going to improve and how we were going to get better,” Dixon said after the game. “I think we really responded in that regard. It was a challenge we gave to our players, and we improved throughout the week.”

In Pitt’s previous exhibition game, the Panthers faced a tougher-than-expected challenge from nearby Slippery Rock, winning the contest 75-64 but holding single-digit scoring advantages in each half as the Rock tossed up a barrage of three-point shots.

Coker College presented no such challenge, instead attempting to run a methodical set offense, and Pitt took advantage of that approach, holding the Cobras to just six points on two-of-16 shooting in the first half.

“We came out intense defensively, aggressive, and just better at being in the right spot at the right time,” Dixon said. “I think that was evident early.”

“How ‘bout those six points in that first half, huh?” exclaimed Coker head coach Dan Schmotzer, who was an assistant coach at TCU when Dixon played for the Horned Frogs, after the game.

Pitt’s defensive stats as a whole were impressive, as the Panthers recorded eight blocks and eight steals and forced 20 turnovers. The 40 points scored by Coker College go down on record as the third-fewest points allowed by Pitt in an exhibition game. Last season, Pitt held LaRoche College to just 30 points, and in 2007, Pitt held Indiana (Pa.) to 31.

On offense, the Panthers were led by redshirt freshman Travon Woodall, who started at point guard and scored a game-high 21 points. Junior center Gary McGhee added 13 points. In total, Pitt received point contributions from 12 players, including walk-on’s Tim Frye, who hit a three-pointer, and Nick Rivers, who converted a four-point play with 34 seconds remaining.

“I’m feeling confident in how much we improved from Sunday to Sunday, from the last exhibition game to this exhibition game,” McGhee said. “We executed well on offense and defense, and I feel more and more confident about going into Friday’s game.

Woodall, who appears to have locked up the starting job at point guard heading into the season-opener on Friday night, has put up 27 points and 10 assists in two exhibition games.

“I feel like this team is improving every day, and as a unit we’re doing a great job of staying together and helping each other out,” Woodall said. “If we keep improving every day, I feel like we can become the best team that we can be.”

Freshman center Dante Taylor, who scored a game-high 27 points against Slippery Rock, had eight points and three rebounds in 14 minutes of work against Coker College. Senior guard Chase Adams and junior Brad Wanamaker also had eight points each, and Wanamaker added four assists, two blocks, and one steal.

“It was a good effort for us and a good sign of improvement, which is something that’s really going to determine how good the team is going to be,” Dixon said.

Sophomore forward Nasir Robinson left the game with a dislocated finger on his left hand after playing six minutes. Dixon said after the game that Robinson was “fine” and he should be ready for the season opener against Wofford.

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