KANSAS CITY -- Wichita State decided early on that Pitt sophomore shooting ace Ashton Gibbs was not going to win the game for the Panthers with his outside shooting. The Shockers blanketed Gibbs every time he touched the ball near the 3-point line.

But in their obsessive pursuit of Gibbs, the Shockers forgot about the other starter in Pitt's backcourt, redshirt freshman Travon Woodall.

Woodall scored a career-high 19 points to lead Pitt past Wichita State, 68-55, tonight to advance to the championship game of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at the Sprint Center. The Panthers (4-0) will face either No. 3 Texas or Iowa tomorrow night.

Gibbs, who scored 42 points in the previous two games, finished with 18, but he did not attempt a 3-point shot and scored most of his points late in the game.

It was Woodall who answered the call when the Shockers concentrated their efforts on stopping Gibbs at all costs. But it was not just his scoring. Woodall played an excellent overall game, dishing out assists, making steals and playing poised against Wichita State's pressure defense.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.