Score 90-plus? Lead wire-to-wire? Start with a W? Panthers check 'em all

Six Panthers scored in double digits in Pitt's season opener Monday night at Petersen Events Center, but Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe were at the center of the 96-56 rout of Radford in combining for 40 points, five steals and one committed turnover.

Lowe, a sophomore guard, led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, adding six assists and three of the team's 11 steals.

Legget, a senior guard, recorded his fifth-career double-double with 19 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals, not to mention this emphatic dunk:

"Those two guys have the ability to make plays with scoring and with passing and creating for others," Jeff Capel said after the win. "It's great to have those two, experienced, veteran ... just good guards and to surround them with other good players. Those guys are really competitive, they are really smart and they were able to take advantage of some things tonight."

Legget and Lowe both did things in their own way. While Legget crashed the boards from the perimeter and went 9-of-13 from the field, Lowe was perfect from the free-throw line, spread the ball around to get his teammates involved and was creative in getting to the basket to score eight points. They played off each other well throughout the night and helped the Panthers get into a nice rhythm as the game carried on.

However, the main takeaway from their first performance of the 2024-25 season was how they took care of the ball. It's one thing the guard group as a whole -- Brandin Cummings and Damian Dunn included -- has focused on and they only committed two turnovers as a unit.

"I think we know how important it is to take care of the ball, it's a huge focal point for us and we really have to set the tone with that this year and carry that on," Lowe said.

The Panthers got off to a slow start against the Highlanders but proved to come on strong as the game continued. They finished the first half on a 16-3 run and back-to-back three-point shots from Cummings and Lowe at the end of the half put an exclamation point on the streak.

Capel said that his team was anxious at the start, but settled in as they started to move the ball. That created shots and allowed the offense to flourish.

"The first 14-15 minutes of the game, I thought we were anxious and we did some good stuff," Capel said. "But, I just thought that we were anxious and it showed. I thought the last five minutes of the first half we really settled in and, more importantly, we started passing. It just opened up everything for us offensively and got us into a great flow and I thought we played that way the rest of the half."

Capel added that he encouraged his players to just be themselves and play how they have throughout the summer and fall.

"Just pass, find guys that are open and make the simple play," Capel said. "Offensively, we're good, we'll make shots, but we gotta unlock passing to make sure we're getting the right shots."

The Panthers showed that down the stretch as they only tallied seven assists in the first half but finished the game with 18 as five different players recorded at least two assists. 

Along with Leggett and Lowe, Florida State transfer Cam Corhen made his presence known in his first start for the Panthers. He tallied 12 points while dealing with foul trouble and also grabbed five rebounds and made six of his 10 field goal attempts.

"He has an offensive ability that we haven't had in a few years," Capel said. "He can score with his back to the basket but he can put the ball on the floor, he can pass it. I think he's really good from 15 to 17 feet. He's more ball-friendly than I thought he was when we got him and we're going to continue to work on those things and try to utilize those to help us."

Next game's Friday against Murray State, also at Petersen Events Center.