Pitt Defeats Youngstown State in Season Opener

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers faced some adversity, but used strong defense and a few runs to come away with a 74-59 victory over Youngstown State in their season opener at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt improves to 9-1 all-time over Youngstown State, 5-0 at the Petersen Events Center, with just the one loss coming on the road in 1976.

The Panthers also improve to 21-3 in home openers at the Petersen Events Center and 6-2 under head coach Jeff Capel.

Youngstown State Holds Early Lead Over Pitt

Youngstown State started out the better of the two teams, holding as big of a lead as 14-6 at the 14:31 mark and holding a 19-15 advantage at the midway point of the first half.

Senior forward led the way for the Penguins with eight points, making a 3-pointer, converting an and-one opportunity and a layup. The Penguins had six total scorers through the first 10 minutes.

Pitt got contributions from senior forward Cameron Corhen, who scored seven points early on.

Panthers Overtake Penguins by Halftime

The Panthers eventually got the lead back after freshman guard Omari Witherspoon scored a layup and then Corhen got up to double-digits scoring, by converting an and-one opportunity off a layup, making it 20-19 to the home team at the under-eight minute media timeout.

Youngstown State retook the lead after sixth year guard Cam Polak hit a 3-pointer and a scored a layup off of a Pitt turnover, while redshirt junior forward Rich Rolf added a free throw to make it a 25-20 lead with 5:35 remaining.

Pitt quickly tied it up, 25-25, with senior guard/forward Barry Dunning Jr. making two free throws and sophomore guard Brandin "Beebah" Cummings making three foul shots.

Pitt Panthers guard Brandin Cummings — Feb 3, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Brandin Cummings (3) calls out a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Penguins got the lead back off a 3-pointer from Rolf, but the Panthers went on a 9-0 run to close the first half, taking a 34-28 lead.

Cummings scored a layup, Corhen hit a surprising 3-pointer and then fifth year guard Damarco "Polo" Minor made two free throws and fadeaway, corner mid-range jumper to close it out with 30 seconds left.

Both Teams Expand Their Range in the Second Half

Pitt and Youngstown State both started shooting much more from 3-point range in the second half, compared to the first half.

Carroll opened up the second half with a 3-pointer, but Pitt built their lead up to eight points at 41-33 with 15:16 remaining, thanks to Cummings scoring five points early on.

Penguins junior guard Rontavious Blackshear hit a 3-pointer as well, but freshman forward Roman Siulepa scored two baskets and Corhen added another, keeping the Panthers up 45-36.

The 3-pointers then came through, featuring as six of the next seven field goals made by both teams resulting

Blackshear made one, then Pitt sophomore guard Nojus Indrusaitis responding with one of his own, while Carroll scored a layup, then Cummings made another 3-pointer for Pitt.

Pitt Panthers guard Nojus Indrusaitis — Oct 19, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Nojus Indrusaitis (25) brings the ball up court against Providence Friars forward Duncan Powell (31) during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

YSU center Imanuel Zorgvol added a free throw and redshirt senior guard Jason Nelson made a 3-pointer. Indrusaitis added another 3-pointer, then Blackshear did the same, making it a 54-48 lead for the home team with 10:50 remaining.

Strong Defense Gives Pitt the Win

The Penguins got it as close as four points at 54-50 with 10:15 remaining after a layup from Carroll, threatening the Panthers.

Pitt then got three fouls from Youngstown State, seeing Indrusaitis make two free throws. They then established their press and Minor scored a basket off a turnover, and a steal from redshirt sophomore forward Papa Amadou Kante led to a big dunk from Indrusaitis, forcing a Youngstown State timeout with a 60-50 lead.

Youngstown State couldn't get anywhere closer than seven points with six minutes remaining, as Pitt closed out the game on a 12-4 run to take home the victory.

Players of the Game for Pitt

Corhen led Pitt with 23 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 8-of-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from the foul line. Those 23 points are the most in a Pitt uniform and his 12 rebounds tied a career-high.

Cummings also had a solid game for the Panthers, scoring 18 points and shooting 4-for-8 from the field, 2-for-7 from 3-point range and 8-for-11 from the free throw line.

Minor had a well-rounded game for Pitt, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds and making two steals, while Kante added 10 rebounds off the bench.

Indrusaitis had a solid performance off the bench for the Panthers, with 13 points and making three 3-pointers to lead the team.

Pitt outrebounded Youngstown State 46-24, including 17-8 on the offensive glass, as they had 18 second chance points to the road team having just four.

The Panthers also made 22 of their 27 free throw shots, 81%, while the Penguins made just five of their nine foul shots, giving the home team a big advantage.

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