Round One of the great Golden State vs. Quaker State grudge match went to California by knockout, with forward Joe Shipp standing over a fallen Penn defender after a dunk celebrating and jabbering like Ali.
The Bears knocked out Penn 82-75 on Friday in a South Regional opening-round game, using an early 10-0 run to seize a lead they never relinquished.
Round Two promises to be tougher. No. 3-seeded Pittsburgh is no Ivy League softy. Sixth-seeded Cal (23-8) is next on Sunday–again in front of a partisan throng at the Mellon Center.
“Our goal will be working hard on defending Pitt,” Cal coach Ben Braun said. “I told the team after [beating Penn] that they are as ready as any team I’ve had.”
It showed early. Nine different Bears scored in the first half, with Shipp, center Solomon Hughes and guard Brian Wethers leading the way with three field goals each.
Shipp finished with 20 points against No. 11-seeded Ivy League champion Penn (25-7), 15 in the second half. He made 11 of 14 free throws, 4-of-7 field-goal attempts and one NBA-length three-pointer that stretched the lead to 68-59 with three minutes to play.
And there was the dunk, no doubt the game’s enduring memory for the Bears forward. He took a pass from Diggs with 12:20 left, gathered steam and jammed the ball over Penn’s Koko Archibong, who fell on his back with Shipp standing over him, exultant.
Braun was screaming, “Lay it in!” but apparently Shipp didn’t hear him.
Pittsburgh 71, Central Connecticut State 54: Playing nearly 40 minutes with a pulled leg muscle and sprained finger was simply exercise for Brandin Knight.
Mental exercise.
The junior point guard had nine assists, five steals and 17 points to lead Pittsburgh past Central Connecticut State, 71-54, Friday in a first-round South Regional game at the Mellon Arena.
“That was Brandin leading and that’s why I call him the Einstein of point guards,” coach Ben Howland said.
Knight was impatient with queries about the quadriceps injury he sustained days earlier in the Big East tournament final.
“The leg is fine and that’s it,” he said. “The answer is not going to change. So please, no more questions about the leg.”
No. 14-seeded Central Connecticut State (27-5) came in with the nation’s longest winning streak at 19 games and pulled within 43-40 with 9 minutes, 38 seconds to play. But Pitt guard Julius Page made a three-point basket and the Panthers (28-5) pulled away for their first tournament victory since 1991.
Page made four of six from long range and scored 16 points. Corsley Edwards scored 16 points for Central Connecticut and Damian Battles had 15.
Although Knight, brother of NBA guard Brevin Knight, made only one of eight three-point shots, his defense and passing kept the No. 3-seeded Panthers (28-5) comfortably ahead down the stretch. Seven of his assists came in the second half.
