Pitt continued its early season dominance by blowing past Mississippi Valley State, 78-45, last night at the Petersen Events Center. But the Panthers got a scare in the process.

Freshman center DeJuan Blair went down in a heap late in the first half and did not return. The early report is that he has a bruised tailbone, and coach Jamie Dixon said he will have a better idea of the serious the injury is today.

"We'll see how he feels [today]," Dixon said. "He landed on his backside, and we'll have to see how he feels. Immediately, it was something where he couldn't get up and down the court after it happened."

Even without Blair, No. 19 Pitt (4-0) had no trouble in dispatching the Delta Devils, the regular-season champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season. Junior forward Sam Young continued his inspired play, scoring 17 points and pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds for the fourth double-double in his career.

Pitt had the game in control in the first few minutes and could have sleepwalked through the rest of the game and won. But Young had no trouble keeping interest in the game. He kept his intensity throughout and for a reason.

"I was told that it was [hard to stay interested] for a lot of guys, but not for myself," Young said. "I think most people play to look good, but I play to make other people look bad. If they're going to come out and not be ready to play, I'm going to expose it."

Brown (12) and Tyrell Biggs (10) also scored in double figures for the Panthers, who will not play again until next Friday against Buffalo.

Already overmatched from a talent standpoint, Mississippi Valley State had to play without one of its best players -- 6-foot-10 center Larry Cox, who is hobbled by a foot injury. His absence meant the Panthers had free reign inside, and they readily took advantage. The Panthers had 15 offensive rebounds and 34 points in the lane.

"Obviously, he wasn't going to make up 30-some point difference, but we would have been more respectable on the rebounds," Mississippi Valley State coach James Green said. "We had no chance to compete there. They just jumped over top of us.

"He also would have helped intimidate a few shots around the basket. And we would throw it in the post to him to score. You're talking about a guy who scored 23 against Kentucky last season. He's a guy who gives our other players confidence. He would have made a difference."

As it was, this game was out of reach after the opening five minutes. Pitt jumped out to a 19-5 lead and never looked back. The Panthers shot 48 percent (31 for 65) from the field and had 50 rebounds.

The defensive effort was just as impressive. The Panthers forced Mississippi Valley State into shooting 26 percent (15 for 57) from the field. All four of Pitt's first four opponents have been held to 62 points or fewer.

"We played really well on defense tonight," Brown said. "They tried to slow down the clock on us and make us try to go for steals. But we stayed patient."

Dixon started junior forward Tyrell Biggs at center after the intermission and substituted junior-college transfer Cassin Diggs and freshman Gary McGhee into the game more. Biggs had four rebounds to go along with his 10 points, Diggs had four points and three rebounds and McGhee one point and three rebounds.

"I think they did a great job," Dixon said. "I thought Cassin did some very good things. Cassin did some good things defensively and against the zone passing. I think Gary is going to be a very good rebounder. We're very confident in him. He's a very good rebounder and he's very aggressive. He does a great job."

NOTES -- Junior point guard Levance Fields turned an ankle and Brown banged his knee, but neither injury is considered serious. ... Brown was 4 for 4 from the field and 2 for 2 from 3-point range.