Krauser finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Danatas Zavackas was Pitt's leading scorer and finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds.
High scorers for Wagner were Jermaine Hall and Dedrick Dye with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Nigel Wyatte had 9 rebounds and 8 points.
Also evident of Pitt playing their normal unselfish brand of basketball was the 22-13 advantage in assists over Wagner. They also out out-rebounded Wagner 37-34. They spread the scoring around as usual. Nobody had a huge night, but everyone contributed to this easy victory. Jaron Brown added 11 points and Brandin Knight had 10 points and 4 rebounds. Ontario Lett and Julius Page had 9 points each and Chevon Troutman pitched in with 8 points.
The Panthers probably received their best bench play of the season, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Not only did Karl Krauser score 12 points off the bench, but Troutman and Toree Morris added 8 points each. Morris played a strong game as he added 4 blocked shots also. Mark McCarroll played some solid minutes and that experience should pay off down the road.
Once again the defense was outstanding. Troutman collected 4 steals, Morris 4 blocks; and Krauser, Knight, Brown and Page smothered the Wagner offense all night.
Next up will be the storied Indiana Hoosier program. Indiana, who defeated Alabama 67-62 last night, will provide the Panthers a much tougher contest Sunday. Indiana brings a 21-12 record into the contest and has been ranked as high as 8th in the country this season.
--Brian Gold