Zanna, Johnson lead Pitt by Lehigh
PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh sophomore guard Durand Johnson kept pestering point guard James Robinson before Tuesday night’s game against Lehigh, insisting the shot that looked a little off in a romp over Howard last Sunday had returned.
“He pretty much told me he was going to be on,” Robinson said. “I kept giving him the ball.”
Johnson knocked down five 3-pointers during a red-hot first half and the Panthers remained unbeaten with an easy 77-58 victory over the well-traveled Mountain Hawks.
After watching his teammates shoot a school record 81 percent against Howard — a game in which he went 0 for 4 from behind the arc — Johnson spent some extra time in the gym searching for some rhythm. He found it on a night the Panthers once again raced to a big early lead and cruised.
“I wanted to come out tonight with more confidence, be shot ready,” Johnson said. “My teammates found me and I was able to knock them down.”
Johnson and center Talib Zanna keyed another explosive opening 20 minutes for the Panthers. Pitt (4-0) hasn’t led by less than 17 points at halftime in any of its games this season.
“We came out aggressive in the first half after we did everything right,” said Zanna, who finished with a career-high 23 points to go with 14 rebounds.
Lamar Patterson chipped in 17 points and five rebounds and James Robinson added a career-high 11 assists without turning it over as Pitt never let Lehigh in the game. The Panthers have won their four games by an average of 26 points.
Tim Kempton led Lehigh with 20 points but the Mountain Hawks (1-4) couldn’t keep pace. Playing its fourth road game in 12 days, Lehigh made just four of its first 19 shots and never got within 18 points over the final 34 minutes.
“They executed really well,” Lehigh coach Brett Reed said. “That’s what Pitt stands for. They were very consistent. I think we just didn’t come out with enough energy.”
The Panthers held Mountain Hawks senior guard Mackey McKnight to just eight points on 4 of 10 shooting, 11 points behind McKnight’s season average. While Kempton shot 7 of 10 from the floor, his teammates went just 14 of 37 (37 percent).
“They were just not letting me come off (screens) to see the floor,” McKnight said. “We still have to find our shots and get other guys open. Coach has put us in a number of schemes that had good looks.”
Lehigh will get some rest after a stretch that included games at Minnesota and Houston in the season’s first two weeks. Pitt meanwhile, heads to Brooklyn next week for the Legends Classic semifinals against Texas Tech.
It will be a significant step up in class, though one the Panthers look ready for after having little problem during four easy wins, though Robinson sees room for improvement.
“These first couple games, we played strong in the first half but the second half performances haven’t been that great,” he said. “We need to work on it going into next week.”
Pitt will take its traditional smothering defense to New York, but now it is accompanied by an offense that appears to be intent on fulfilling coach Jamie Dixon’s preseason promise to play at a faster pace.
Having willing shooters helps.
Panthers raced to a quick 32-11 lead led by Zanna and Johnson and some quick passing that set up easy shots.
Johnson’s five triples came with one of the program mark for 3-pointers in a half. Several came from well behind the line, as he had little trouble shooting over the extended arms of the undersized Mountain Hawks, who have away several inches at nearly every position.
“We’ve seen a lot of top teams lose to mid-major teams,” Johnson said. “That just makes us all play with a chip on their shoulder.”
Lehigh eventually steadied itself behind Kempton, whose father Tim Kempton Sr. played for nine NBA teams during a journeyman career. Using a variety of moves, including a jump hook and a nifty up and under, Kempton more than held his own with Zanna.
It’s the rest of the Mountain Hawks that had trouble keeping up. By the time Johnson hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with time winding down in the half, Pittsburgh led by 24.
Lehigh managed to slow things down a bit in the second half. By then, however, the competitive portion of things was over.
The Panthers outrebounded Lehigh 44-21, turned it over only nine times while finishing with 20 assists on 29 field goals.