Coming off a staggering 78-63 loss to the Citadel in its season opener on Tuesday, Pitt traveled down I-79 to take on West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl on Friday night, and to the surprise of no one, the Panthers were taken down by the Mountaineers 74-59.
Pitt looked more capable and cohesive in the opening minutes of the contest than they did all night against the Citadel, and as a result, the team was able to shoot out to an early 8-4 lead, with Femi Odukale and Mouhamadou Gueye chipping in four points apiece. However, West Virginia then jumped ahead 12-8 before the two longtime rivals began to trade blows around the halfway point of the first half.