PITTSBURGH — It was a cold and soggy evening outside, but inside the Peterson Events Center, West Virginia had the hot hand, allowing the Mountaineers to run away from Pitt for an impressive 81-56 victory in the 189th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
It was the Mountaineers’ sixth straight win in the series, the first time since 1977 that West Virginia defeated Pitt by 20 or more points and the first time the Mountaineers won by 20-plus at Pitt since 1967. However, five of the six wins in the ongoing streak have been by double figures, and the other was a nine-point win at Pitt in 2017.
Four double-figure scorers led the charge for the Mountaineers, including Iowa transfer Joe Toussaint, who led all scorers with 18 points. The point guard played 30 minutes off the bench.
Erik Stevenson (16), Mohammed Wague (11), and Emmitt Matthews Jr. (10) were the other double-digit scorers for West Virginia, which improved to 2-0
The Mountaineers scored 20 first-half paint points en route to a 36-22 advantage in that category.
“We missed a bunch,” said WVU veteran head coach Bob Huggins. “We spend time and work on it. We work on it with the bigs, along with rebounding. Our guards are athletic so they can play around the rim. You try and get guys that are good at what they do and stay away from the things they can’t.”
The Mountaineers opened the game on an 8-2 run, that featured a pair of Stevenson 3-pointers. However, Pitt responded with a 13-2 run to hold a 15-10 lead.
Following the Panthers’ best stretch of the contest, the Mountaineers went on to outscore Pitt 37-21 over the final 15:06 of the first half.
West Virginia’s lead was 31-30 before a 10-2 spurt in less than 2 minutes allowed the Mountaineers to create separation and lead by nine following two Toussaint free throws.
West Virginia shot 65 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes to build its 47-36 halftime lead.
Scoring didn’t come as easily for the Mountaineers in the second half as they endured four separate scoring droughts of at least 2 minutes.
Pitt (1-1) was to within 10 at 59-49 following a Nelly Cummings jump shot with just outside 9 minutes left.
But the Panthers went nearly the next 3 minutes without scoring, while the Mountaineers got a paint bucket from Wague and a triple from Seth Wilson over that time to gain a 15-point lead.
A Jamarius Burton jumper with 3:22 left ended a field goal drought of nearly 6 minutes for the Panthers, who trailed 75-54 at that point.
West Virginia’s depth was on full display as the Mountaineers’ reserved outscored Pitt’s bench, 42-10.
“It says that we did well in the portal,” Huggins said. “I think last year’s freshmen are now more seasoned and know what we want. We have a few freshmen that, sooner or later, will see some time. Our depth is good.”
Huggins was also pleased with Wague’s performance, as he posted 11 points in 14 minutes. Wague has made 9-of-10 shots over his first two games as a Mountaineer.
“He is so agile,” Huggins stated. “He is getting better and better as everyone does. [Toussaint and Stevenson] work on their game, which I think rubs off. Our younger guys see those upperclassmen working when they come into practice. That spearheads them into more time. It is all about putting in the time.”
Nine new faces for West Virginia that did not play in last year’s game were able to experience the Backyard Brawl atmosphere for the first time, including Stevenson.
“The football game,” said Stevenson when he realized the importance of the rivalry, referencing West Virginia’s season-opening loss at Pitt on the gridiron. “It was easy to figure out the rivalry. Our fans travel well for every sport. I was at the football game myself and I saw a lot of Mountaineer fans there. When Pitt played a home game the following week, nobody was there, and I then knew what it was and meant.”
Texas transfer Tre Mitchell, a Pittsburgh native, finished with eight points and six rebounds in his second game at WVU.
Burton led Pitt with 16 points and seven rebounds. Panthers’ guard Greg Elliott also recorded double-figures with 12 points.
“The series is awesome,” said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel. “We have to do a better job, on our part, of making it a rivalry.”