Pittsburgh (22-2, 10-1 Big East) got a balanced attack without its leading scorer Ashton Gibbs, who is out up to two weeks with a left knee injury. Gary McGhee had 13 points, Travon Woodall added 12 and Brad Wanamaker scored 11 for the Panthers.
Pittsburgh went hard to the glass after being held to a season-low 23 points in the first half. The Panthers went ahead to stay with eight minutes left to improve to 5-0 on the road in the Big East and continue their best overall start in conference play.
This is the 10th straight season Pitt has won at least 20 games over all and at least 10 in the Big East, the conference’s longest current streak.
Deniz Kilicli scored a career-high 19 points and Kevin Jones added 12 for the Mountaineers (15-8, 6-5).
Without Gibbs, Pittsburgh had little outside shooting presence — and it didn’t matter. The Panthers, who lead the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounded West Virginia 40-28 on the strength of 18 offensive boards.
From start to finish, Pittsburgh pounded the ball inside, piling up 42 points in the paint against a Mountaineers defense that eventually wore down.
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