Dec. 2, 2010

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PITTSBURGH (AP) - Ashton Gibbs scored 22 points, Gary McGhee wore down smaller Duquesne with 12 points and 13 rebounds and No. 3 Pittsburgh beat its city rival 80-66 on Wednesday night in the first basketball game in the Consol Energy Center.

The 6-foot-11 McGhee was too tall and too strong for the Dukes, who played much of the game with only one starter taller than 6-5. McGhee had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds with 5½ minutes remaining in the first half and finished with seven blocked shots, tying a school record held by many.

The Panthers (8-0), who came in with a nation's best rebounding advantage of 16.2 per game, outrebounded the Dukes 56-35 after holding a 2-to-1 edge for most of a first half in which they opened leads of as many as 15 points.

Nasir Robinson added 14 points and 12 rebounds as Pitt beat its down-the-street rival for the 10th consecutive season -- extending its domination of what is known as the City Game with its 29th victory in the last 32 games.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is 8-0 against the Dukes, who last won in the series in 2000.

Bill Clark and Damian Saunders scored 20 points each for Duquesne (3-2), which shot 36.2 percent while being held 25 below its season scoring average of 91 points. Clark, guarded mostly by Robinson, didn't score until 3:12 remained in the first half and the Dukes down 15.

Freshman guard T.J. McConnell added 14 points, but the Dukes still were held nearly 30 points below their scoring average.

The Dukes, who led Pitt by 16 points in the second half before losing 67-58 in double overtime last season, fooled Pitt briefly with its full-court pressure and grabbed a 9-2 lead with only 2:11 gone.

But the Panthers' significant size advantage quickly became a factor as they answered with a 13-3 run that made it 15-12. They opened a 34-19 lead on Travon Woodall's layup with 3:29 remaining in the half, often appearing to be playing volleyball on the offensive end while repeatedly getting multiple shots before scoring.

The Dukes never got closer than eight points in the second half, and Pitt used a quick 9-0 run to take a 58-40 lead with 13 minutes left. Woodall made two free throws after freshman Joel Wright was called for an intentional foul, and Gibbs made a 3-pointer from the baseline off the inbounds play to effectively put the game out of reach.

Pitt has won 142 of its last 153 games played in Pittsburgh.