Nov 9, 2021 3 min read

Jason Roche knocked down eight 3-pointers and The Citadel jumped to an early lead it never surrendered to knock off short-handed Pittsburgh, 78-63 in the season opener for both schools Tuesday night.

A freshman, Roche hit half of the Bulldogs’ six 3s in the opening seven minutes to build a 29-7 lead and held a 43-31 advantage at intermission.

The Panthers cut the deficit to single digits on several occasions but could get no closer than nine points.

Roche, who took all 14 of his shots from beyond the arc, finished with 27 points and Hayden Brown, was voted the preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year, finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Tyler Moffe added 12 points and dished five assists. The Citadel hit 13 of 36 from long range.

John Hugley scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Pitt. Femi Odukale contributed 20 points.

The Panthers lost their two leading scorers from a year ago before the season tipped off. Nike Sibande suffered a knee injury in the exhibition win over Gannon and is lost for the season. The team announced Monday that Ithiel Horton has been suspended indefinitely after allegedly assaulting a Pittsburgh police officer.

Jamarius Burton, an incoming transfer from Texas Tech expected to run the point, is recovering from knee surgery and did not play in the season opener. His Pitt debut is considered a day-to-day decision.

West Virginia 60, Oakland 53:Taz Sherman scored 18 points to lead West Virginia to a 60-53 victory over Oakland in the season opener for both teams Tuesday night.

Sean McNeil had 11 points for the Mountaineers, who took a double-digit lead early in the second half but struggled offensively down the stretch.

Jamal Cain scored 15 points, Trey Townsend added 12 and Micah Parrish had 10 points for Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies committed 25 turnovers.

The Mountaineers’ biggest questions entering the season were getting rebounding help and inside scoring following the departure of big man Derek Culver.

West Virginia shot poorly early in the game, was soundly outrebounded and fell behind by as many as six points. But the Mountaineers scored on three straight possessions after getting offensive rebounds to go ahead to stay late in the half.

McNeil’s 3-pointer gave West Virginia its largest lead, 50-33, with 11 minutes left in the game. The Mountaineers then went without a field goal over the next four minutes, and Oakland used a 14-3 run to cut the deficit to 53-47 with 6:29 remaining.

But the Golden Grizzlies got no closer.

Neither team put on a shooting clinic. Oakland made just 3 of 23 3-point attempts. West Virginia was 4 of 21 from beyond the arc and shot just 56% (10 of 18) from the free-throw line.