22-0 run lifts No. 17 Pitt past Buffalo

Sam Young started Pittsburgh on an early 22-point run with a one-handed dunk, a 3-pointer from the baseline, a blocked shot and a steal and the No. 17 Panthers rolled to a 92-45 victory over Buffalo on Friday night.

Buffalo (2-3), coming off a 17-point loss to Niagara, led 4-0 before being held scoreless for 6 minutes as Pitt surged to a 22-4 lead and went on to open a 28-point halftime lead. The Panthers weren't sluggish at all despite being off for a week since a 78-45 rout of Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 15.

Young, playing a much bigger role in Pitt's offense, ended with 20 points in 23 minutes and had eight rebounds as Pittsburgh opened 5-0 for the eighth consecutive season. The Panthers haven't played on the road yet, and their average winning margin against a lightweight schedule is 29.8 points with two wins of more than 40 points.

Levance Fields came out of an early season shooting slump in which he had scored more than seven points only once, contributing 15 points and seven assists. Keith Benjamin helped out with 17 points off the bench as Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, as he has done frequently, subbed out his starting five early and rotated in his bench players the rest of the way.

Tyrell Biggs added 12 points and Gilbert Brown had 10.

Young, a 6-foot-6 power forward who averaged seven points last season, is largely responsible for Pitt's upgraded offense to date. He is averaging 19 points and has scored 20 or more three times, something he had accomplished only once before this season. There's nothing wrong with his all-around game, as he also had four steals and three blocked shots.

Young's outside shooting is much improved — he is 7-for-13 on 3-pointers.

Vadim Fedotov scored 13 points for Buffalo, which nearly upset Pitt last season before dropping a 70-67 home-court decision when the Panthers were ranked No. 2.

Pitt freshman center DeJuan Blair, limited to nine minutes of playing time against Mississippi Valley State because of lower back soreness, had four points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.

Pitt leads the series 8-1, losing only in the first game 91 years ago.