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Nov 17, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Omari Witherspoon (8) brings the ball up court on a fast break against the Bucknell Bison during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pitt Bounces Back With Blowout Win Over Bucknell

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Nov 17, 2025 9:19 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers needed a statement victory after a poor defeat in their last outing and got just that against Bucknell, earning an 84-50 victory at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt bounces back from a loss to rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl on the road on Nov. 13, 71-49. The Panthers improved to 4-1 on the season, winning their other three games at home, Youngstown State in the season opener on Nov. 3, 74-59, Longwood on Nov. 7, 78-60, and Eastern Michigan on Nov. 10, 78-66.

Bucknell has fallen to 2-3 on the season with their third straight loss, as it also fell to Princeton on the road on Nov. 11, 73-63, and Hofstra at home on Nov.14, 83-77. The Bison won their first two games, 78-70 over Delaware at home on Nov. 3 and 73-62 over Mount St. Mary's on the road on Nov. 7.

Pitt Starts Slow, But Finishes Well in the First Half

Bucknell came out the better of the two teams, taking a 7-6 lead at the first media timeout and then 11-9 with 13:14 remaining.

Pitt then scored the next 12 points over the next four minutes, leading 21-11 at the under-12 media timeout.

Senior guard/forward Barry Dunning Jr. led the Panthers with five points on a 3-pointer and a layup, freshman guard Omari Witherspoon added two layups and fifth-year guard Damarco Minor hit a 3-pointer off a turnover

The Bison responded with a quick 6-0, trimming the deficit to four points at 21-17 and leading Panthers head coach Jeff Capel to call a quick timeout.

Pitt came out of the timeout on an 8-0 run, with senior forward Cameron Corhen making two baskets, Dunning making a 3-pointer and sophomore guard Brandin Cummings scoring a layup off of a turnover, extending the home team's advantage to 30-18.

Bucknell cut it back to single digits by scoring the next four points, 30-22, but Pitt finished the first half on an 8-3 run, leading 38-25 at halftime. Dunning hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Witherspoon hit a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer for Pitt.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Panthers Continue Great Play in Second Half, Secure Blowout Win

The Panthers opened up the second by scoring the first eight points and made it a 25-5 run through to the under-12 media timeout.

Pitt shot 8-for-10 from the floor and 5-for-7 from 3-point range during that run. They also got seven different players that scored, with Cummings leading the way with seven points. Dunning hit two 3-pointers, while Witherspoon, Cummings and Minor each made a shot from behind the arc on the run.

The Panthers continued increasing the lead, to 70-36 at the under-eight minute media timeout and to 82-42 in the under-four media timeout.

Freshman guard Macari Moore saw considerable time off the bench and fellow freshman in center Kieran Mullen made his debut for the program, throwing down an impressive dunk.

Players of the Game in Pitt's Victory

Dunning finished the game for the Panthers as the leading scorer with 20 points, making 8-of-13 shots from the field and shooting 7-for-10 from deep.

He scored a combined 11 points in the first four games, including none in the loss to West Virginia, as Pitt fans finally saw the potential Dunning has as a 3-point threat.

Witherspoon had a solid outing for Pitt with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, a team-high three steals and five assists.

Sophomore forward Papa Amadou Kante led with eight rebounds and tied with Witherspoon with five assists.

The Panthers had four other players score in double-digits in sophomore guard Nojus Indrusaitis, Corhen, Cummings and Witherspoon, who each scored 11 points.

Pitt shot 50.8% from the field and 13-for-25 from 3-point range, 52.0%, while they held Bucknell to 27.7% field goal shooting and 6-for-21 shooting from behind the arc, 28.6%

The Panthers also outrebounded the Bison, 42-29, getting 16 second chance points on 15 offensive rebounds.

Pitt Continues Lead in All-Time Series Over Bucknell

Pitt improves to 19-9 over Bucknell in the all-time series and 14-4 in home games against their in-state foe.

The Panthers did lose to the Bison in their most recent game, a 69-66 defeat on Jan. 2, 2005 at the Petersen Events Center, marking their second-ever loss in the venue, which opened with the start of the 2022-23 season.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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