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Young leads No. 6 Pittsburgh past West Virginia

Feb 8, 2007 - 4:56 AM MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (Ticker) -- For West Virginia, the "Backyard Brawl" was not much of a battle.

Sam Young scored a career-high 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead sixth-ranked Pittsburgh to a 60-47 triumph over the Mountaineers in a Big East Conference contest.

The sophomore Young scored eight consecutive points during a 12-2 run that Aaron Gray capped on a layup with 10:33 to play, giving the Panthers a 43-26 advantage.

"Last year he (Young) played very well all three games against the Mountaineers," Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said. "I felt he'd play very well (tonight). He's been practicing hard. You get what you earn. He's a sophomore who just keeps getting better and better."

West Virginia (18-5, 7-4 Big East) answered with a 19-6 spurt highlighted by Frank Young's layup with 4:46 remaining to pull within 49-45 but could get no closer.

Pittsburgh (21-3, 9-1) finished the contest on an 11-2 run to put the game out of reach. The Panthers converted all six of their free throws down the stretch.

Gray scored 14 points and had nine rebounds for Pittsburgh, which shot 52 percent (24-of-46) and outrebounded the Mountaineers, 38-21.

West Virginia shot a dismal 24 percent (6-of-25) in the first half and went to the break down 27-17.

The 17 points allowed in the first half were the lowest of the season by Pittsburgh. It held DePaul to 18 points on January 10.

"Pitt's got a terrific team," Mountaineers coach John Beilein said. "It's no secret. We've got to make shots and play at a higher level if we're going to beat them."

Da'Sean Butler led the way with 14 points for the Mountaineers, who shot 33 percent (16-of-49) in losing to the Panthers for the eighth time in the last 11 meetings.