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Sunday, December 22, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

KINGSTON, R.I. -- The power of the Pitt Panthers was in full force last night in this quiet college town tucked between the tall trees.

On the court and in the stands.

The first sellout at the new $54 million Ryan Center on the University of Rhode Island's campus came to get a look at Pitt, a marquee attraction as the highest-ranked men's team to play on campus.

An overflow crowd of 8,121, which included 550 standing-room only tickets, was treated to a hotly contested, if not smoothly played game, that saw Pitt wear down and wear out Rhode Island, 87-71.

The Panthers are 8-0 for the first time since they started 9-0 in 1987-88.

The chant of "overrated" by a vocal band of students at courtside had a hollow ring to it.

Pitt, ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN poll and No. 4 by The Associated Press, flexed its muscles underneath, enjoyed significant contributions from almost the entire roster and rode the hot shooting of Brandin Knight.

Knight had a season-high 22 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in a performance worthy of a preseason All-American and player of the year in the Big East Conference. A 6-foot senior, Knight hit 5 of 9 3-pointers after entering with a 27.5 percentage from that range.

"Knight doesn't lose his cool. He makes everybody better. He's a step above everybody," said Rhode Island Coach Jim Baron. "You have to do so many things right to overcome their talent."

Pitt Coach Ben Howland could see in Knight's eyes that this was going to be his game.

"He had that look," Howland said. "His family was here; he came to play. Brandin Knight is a winner."

Ontario Lett (14 points, seven rebounds) and Chevon Troutman (10 points, nine rebounds) came off the bench to provide a lift.

"He's a lot more athletic than he looks," Baron said of Lett, a 6-6, 265-pound senior.

"They have some wide bodies who are hard to box out," said Rhode Island forward Dustin Hellenga, who had a team-high 17 points.

Rhode Island (5-3) had its three-game winning streak snapped despite a gritty effort that bodes well for the future in the Atlantic 10 Conference under Baron, a former St. Francis (Pa.) and St. Bonaventure coach in his second season guiding the Rams.

It wasn't pretty because the referees kept the game from gaining any continuity. But the Panthers kept pounding the Rams with a variety of players.

"Our depth really was the key for us," Howland said. "Defense and rebounding are a staple of what we do."

Pitt outreboudned Rhode Island, 45-27, and held the Rams to 31 percent shooting from the field.

A foul-infested first half tested the reserve strength of both teams as the coaches were forced to substitute more than they wanted.

Julius Page, Pitt's leading scorer this season, picked up two charging fouls before the game was five minutes old, and Howland sat him on the bench the remainder of the first half. Donatas Zavackas also missed most of the first because of foul trouble.

Pitt's bench proved to be much deeper as the Panthers weathered the loss of two starters to lead, 47-31, at halftime.

Knight converted his first three shot from beyond the arc to help Pitt race to a 15-5 lead.

"He set the tone early," Howland said. "He made it very clear who's going to win this game. No question."

Just when Lett was beginning to assert himself in the first half with a baseline slam, a short jump hook and two muscle rebound follows for eight points, he got his third foul to earn spot next to Howland.

Yuri Demetris gave Pitt a boost with a 3-pointer, and the Panthers dominated the boards to keep the Rams from making a prolonged run. For the most part, Pitt quieted the Rhode Island fans.

The only Rhode Island spurt was helped by Pitt's continued inability to consistently make free throws. The Rams scored 10 unanswered points to pull within 25-20.

That's as close as it would get.

"Everywhere we go it's a hostile environment," Knight said. "Wherever we go, people get up for us. It's fun to win it big on the road."

NOTES -- Rhode Island's 71 points is the most scored against Pitt this season, surpassing Duquesne's 67 in a 15-point loss in the season-opener. Pitt opponents entered averaging 53.9 points. ... Pitt's biggest lead was 63-40. ... Pitt committed a season-high 24 turnovers and had 16 assists. ... Dawan Robinson had 7 of Rhode Island's 11 steals. ... Pitt shot 55.8 percent from the field. ... Pitt's next game is Saturday against George Mason at the Petersen Events Center.