Matt Freed, Post-Gazette West Virginia's Kevin Pittsnogle grabs a rebound behind Pitt's Aaron Gray last night. Click photo for larger image. Related stories WVU's Pittsnogle makes up for poor performance with 26-point effort Cook: Krauser, Gray have had better games

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Pitt coach Jamie Dixon harped on two principles last week when the Panthers had seven days between games. He wanted his team to defend better and cut down on its turnovers.

With a bye in the Big East Conference tournament on the line last night, the Panthers failed miserably in both areas and West Virginia secured a 67-62 victory before 14,805 at WVU Coliseum.

Pitt's inability to defend the 3-point line and take care of the ball were the two most glaring weaknesses in a loss that all but assures the Panthers will be playing on the first day of the conference tournament next week at Madison Square Garden in New York.

No. 8 Pitt (21-5, 10-5) dropped into a tie for fourth place with Georgetown, but the Hoyas hold the tiebreaker edge over the Panthers. No. 14 West Virginia (20-8, 11-4) can secure third place and a first-round bye with a victory at Cincinnati Saturday. The top four teams from the league earn a bye.

West Virginia made 12 3-pointers, including nine in the first half when the Mountaineers jumped to a big lead. But the Panthers said the real culprit that cost them the game was turnovers. They had 17 for the game, seven in the first eight minutes when the Mountaineers built a double-digit lead.

"It was just bad decision-making on our part," senior guard Carl Krauser said. "[The] game was about turnovers. We had too many of them. You're not going to win a game with that many turnovers."

West Virginia forced four Pitt turnovers in the first 2¹/₂ minutes and jumped out to an early 13-2 lead. Pitt fought back from the early deficit and stayed close throughout the contest, but the slow start proved impossible to overcome.

"We obviously would like to take care of the ball better," Dixon said. "Seventeen turnovers are not what we had set our goal for."

West Virginia was a much different team from the one that played 2¹/₂ weeks ago at the Petersen Events Center. The Mountaineers shot poorly from 3-point range and lost, 57-53.

When the Mountaineers are making shots they're hard to beat, and that was the case last night. West Virginia was 6 for 27 from behind the arc in the first game. The Mountaineers had six with 6:45 remaining in the first half last night

Center Kevin Pittsnogle, who did not score against the Panthers in the first meeting, had 26 points and was 5 for 12 from 3-point range. But the player who hurt Pitt the most was senior guard Joe Herber, who had 16 points and made 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He came into the game shooting 23 percent from 3-point range, and made all four of his 3-pointers in the first 7:50 of the contest.

"There was just a lack of defense on our part," junior center Aaron Gray said.

There was a lack of offense, too, especially from Gray and Krauser, Pitt's top two scorers. Gray was held to seven points and took just five shots from the field, half of his season average.

Krauser scored 10 points, but he was 3 for 16 from the field and missed several key shots down the stretch when the Panthers were trying to get back in the game. Take away Krauser from the equation and Pitt shot 67 percent.

"It was a rough shooting night," Krauser said. "I rushed a lot of shots."

Dixon defended Krauser.

"We're not going to judge Carl on one game," Dixon said. "It's like the way Pittsnogle played against us the first time. I'm sure they didn't tell him not to shoot the ball anymore because of one bad game."

After falling behind, 19-6, in the first 5¹/₂ minutes, Pitt went on a 15-3 run to get back into the game, 22-21, with 8:55 remaining in the first half. On West Virginia's next possession, Pittsnogle converted a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding.

That happened throughout the game. Pitt would draw close, but West Virginia would make a big shot to stem the tide.

Pitt pulled within one point again a few minutes later after Ronald Ramon made a 3-pointer, but Patrick Beilein made two 3-pointers to end the half and send the Mountaineers to the locker room with a 37-30 advantage.

The Panthers pulled to within two points twice in the second half and three points five times after that, but West Virginia always had an answer. Pittsnogle scored the bucket or made two free throws on four of those seven occasions.

"They played like seniors," Pitt freshman Levance Fields said. "Pittsnogle hit some shots. He was ready for this game. [J.D.] Collins came in and made a long 3. Gansey made plays. They did what they had to do to win the game. We didn't."

NOTES -- Ramon and Sam Young led Pitt with 12 points apiece. Fields also was in double figures with 10. ... Pitt's bench outscored West Virginia's bench, 27-4. ... West Virginia had 20 points off Pitt's 17 turnovers. ... Pitt shot 49 percent from the field and was 4 for 14 from 3-point range.