DeJuan Blair got to the Petersen Events Center minutes before a 2 p.m. game yesterday against Toledo after coming directly from his great-grandfather's burial at Allegheny Cemetery. Blair was a pallbearer at Eugene Nelson's funeral and did not make it in time to warm up with the team.

Blair, usually Pitt's most gregarious player, was subdued, but he didn't let the emotions of the day affect his play. Blair did not start for the first time this season, but he provided some much-needed spark off the bench in No. 14 Pitt's 78-52 victory against the Rockets.

Blair posted his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, culminating a difficult day for him and his family.

"I just had to play through it, not think about it," said Blair, a Schenley High School product. "I know he would have wanted me to play good. I played for him. I dedicated this game for him."

Blair played inspired in his 23 minutes of action. He was 4 for 7 from the field and had six offensive rebounds. He also added three more steals to give him a team-leading 16 for the season, and had two blocks. After an emphatic block during a dominant flurry in the second half, coach Jamie Dixon took Blair out of the game, at which time Blair received the biggest ovation of the game.

"I don't think he could have handled it better," said Dixon, who attended the funeral service yesterday morning. "He was there for his family and for his teammates."

Whether it was Blair's absence from the starting lineup or just an atypical start to the game, Pitt (7-0) struggled early against Toledo. The Rockets led for most of the first half.

The Rockets (1-6) made four of their first five 3-point attempts and led early, 12-4. That represented Pitt's largest deficit of the season.

Toledo maintained its lead until 5:54 remained in the half, when Mike Cook hit a 3-pointer to tie the score, 23-23.

It was tied again, 28-28, with 1:26 remaining, but the Panthers scored the final six points of the half to take a 34-28 lead at the intermission, saving themselves a tongue-lashing at halftime.

"We have to come out more focused and on the same page," said junior forward Sam Young, who also had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. "A lot of people's heads were in different places. Knowing their record, I guess you wouldn't get up too much. That was the cause of our slow start. I guess we learned our lesson. Hopefully, it will never happen again, especially as we go into better competition."

Pitt seized control of the game at the beginning of the second half. The Panthers opened the second half with a 19-6 run and led, 53-34, with 10:50 remaining. Toledo never cut the lead to below double digits the rest of the way.

The Panthers did not have one of their better shooting performances (31 for 72 from the field), but they pounded the Rockets on the boards. They won the rebound battle, 51-28, and pulled down 23 offensive rebounds. They also outscored the Rockets, 36-18, in the lane.

"We looked like a [junior varsity] team compared to some of their big guys," Toledo coach Stan Joplin said. "I felt we were OK until their best shot turned out to be a missed shot. That's where they really hurt us. Second-chance points really hurt us."

Pitt won its first seven games by an average of 30 points per game. All but one was decided by 27 points or more.

But now comes the most difficult portion of the non-conference schedule, starting with a resurgent Duquesne team Wednesday at the Palumbo Center.

"We've done what we've needed to do," Dixon said. "We've won by significant margins. We're not where we need to be. And we understand that. We have to be better than we've been our first seven games."