Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Pittsburgh 89, Albany 56
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 11, 2011
Where: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Officials: # Paul Faia, # Wally Rutecki, # Lamar Simpson
Attendance: 10125

Ashton Gibbs and Travon Woodall combined for 46 points to lead No. 11 Pitt to a 89-56 rout of Albany in the season opener for both teams.

Gibbs was supposed to be the focal point of the offense but his backcourt mate Woodall led the Panthers with a career-high 25 points. Woodall’s 10 assists were more than he delivered in any game last season as he made his debut as the starting point guard.

After losing floor leader Brad Wannamaker to graduation, point guard play will be pivotal to the success of an offense that will still heavily rely on Gibbs, the preseason Big East Player of the Year. The do-it-all playmaker was free to move without the ball and poured in 21 points, many of which came in the opening half when Pitt dashed out to an early double-digit lead.

Efficiency was the theme of the evening for the home team, as Pitt had 24 assists on 34 made field goals. The Panthers shot a blistering 56.5 percent from 3-point range against an opponent that returned four starters.

Albany was led by 17 points from Gerardo Suero but looked lost for long stretches on the offensive end as it searches for a replacement for leading scorer Tim Ambrose.
Top Game Performances
 
Albany   Pittsburgh
Gerardo Suero 17 Scoring Tray Woodall 25
Mike Black 3 Assists Tray Woodall 10
Gerardo Suero 6 Rebounds Dante Taylor 8
Gerardo Suero 9 Free Throws Made Khem Birch 2
Logan Aronhalt 1 Steals Tray Woodall 2
Logan Aronhalt 1 Blocks Dante Taylor 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Albany 56 43.2 3-17 15-23 7 21 3 3
Pittsburgh 89 54.0 13-22 8-10 24 32 2 6