Pitt had trouble with the plucky Penguins from Youngstown State but the Panthers finally pulled away late in the second half and won,72-56, this afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.

The score was tied, 42-42, with 12:15 remaining, but Pitt scored the next 10 points to take command of the game. Sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs, who did not make a field goal in the first half, scored eight of the points, including consecutive 3-pointers to cap the run.

Gibbs scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Junior guard Brad Wanamaker also scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Junior center Gary McGhee posted his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Nasir Robinson had his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Panthers (5-1) held an 11-point lead midway through the first half, but they allowed Youngstown State to stay in the game by committing 10 turnovers.

The Penguins (3-3) were able to cut the lead to 34-28 at halftime after finishing the half on a 13-8 run. Pitt managed only three field goals in the final 10 minutes of the half as Youngstown State's zone defense caused the problems for the Panthers.

Check out Ray Fittipaldo's Pitt B-Ball blog and Paul Zeise's Pitt Stop videos about football exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.