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Pitt hammers North Florida

Nov 14, 2010 - 2:30 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - J.J. Moore came off the bench to score 19 points and grab eight rebounds and Brad Wanamaker scored 17 points as fifth-ranked Pittsburgh dismantled North Florida, 95-49.

Talib Zanna added 13 points and nine rebounds while Ashton Gibbs chipped in with a dozen points, six assists and four boards as the Panthers (3-0) claimed the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Pitt improved to 135-11 all-time at the Petersen Events Center with its 50th straight home win over a non-conference opponent.

"We ran our offense well and got good shots," Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon said. "Good offense leads to more offensive opportunities throughout. We got a good performance from a lot of guys and were also able to play a lot of guys. We played hard and stayed with it when we gained the lead."

Andres Diaz scored 14 and Jerron Granberry supplied 10 points in the loss for the Ospreys (0-2), who have lost their last five season openers and are 6-13 in the first game of a campaign in program history.

Travon Woodall's layup capped a 17-4 burst that gave Pitt a 27-10 lead with 7:46 to go in the first half.

Moore's conventional three-point play finished a 7-0 spurt to close the half as the Panthers took a 48-21 lead to the intermission.

North Florida, returning four starters from a 13-18 team a year ago, never remotely challenged in the second half as Pitt steadily increased its lead en route to doubling the visitors, 83-41, on a Moore layup with 4:11 to play in the game.

"The last time I was here was when this place was being built," said North Florida head coach and Pittsburgh native Matt Driscoll. "I couldn't help but think about the history of the Pitt Panthers. It was a disappointing effort today from our guys. But, that's the good thing about basketball, you don't have to wait a week until your next game. So, hopefully, we can get this fixed and get back on track."

Game Notes

Pitt has won 41 of its 42 home games...The Panthers have held their opponents to less than 60 points in 84 of their 146 games at "the Pete."...Moore made 8- of-12 shots from the floor while Wanamaker and Zanna each connected on 5-of-8. North Florida shot just 21-of-56 for 37.5-percent from the field...The Ospreys attempted only seven foul shots, making three, while Pitt went 14-of-24 from the line...Pitt outrebounded the visitors 59-28...The 2010-11 season is North Florida's second at the Division I level...The Ospreys lost to Florida State, 75-55, Friday night and tipped off Saturday's game about 19 hours later...Driscoll earned his first head coaching job at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh.