Behind Cam Corhen's Double-Double, Pitt Cruises to Season-Opening Win Over Youngstown State
Two preseason exhibitions offered coach Jeff Capel’s revamped Pitt basketball team some tune-up opportunities, but Monday at Petersen Events Center marked their first official game of the season. Youngstown State, a Horizon League team predicted to finish fourth, was the Penguins' opponent in the season opener.
Pitt took an early lead, though the game tightened as Youngstown State cut the gap to four points midway through the second half. Ultimately, the Panthers secured a 74-59 victory, powered by Cam Corhen’s standout performance with a double-double. Corhen scored 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading both teams in these stats.
“It’s great to get a win in our first game,” Capel said. “That’s a really good team that we beat, a team that’s going to have a chance to win their league. … I thought we settled into the game defensively, made things difficult for them and that got us going a little bit offensively.”
Key Contributors
- Cam Corhen: 23 points, 12 rebounds
- Brandin Cummings: 18 points
- Nojus Indrusaitis: 13 points off the bench
Pitt shot 43.4% from the floor (23 of 53) and dominated the boards, outrebounding Youngstown State 46-24. The first points of the season for Pitt were scored by Cummings with a 3-pointer, reducing an early YSU lead to 7-3 roughly three minutes into the game.
The Panthers trailed early once again, continuing a pattern from preseason play, as Youngstown State led 14-6 following an alley-oop by Imanuel Zorgvol with 14:31 remaining before halftime.
Author's summary: Pitt’s strong defense and dominant rebounding, led by Cam Corhen’s double-double, powered their confident 74-59 season-opening win over a competitive Youngstown State squad.