Blake Hinson had 27 points and 13 rebounds and Federiko Federiko added 13 points to lead Pitt to a season-opening 80-58 victory over visiting UT Martin on Monday.

Hinson went 9 for 18 from the field, including 4 for 12 from beyond the arc, while Federiko shot 6 for 7 from the field and added seven rebounds.

Greg Elliott scored 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting, while Jamarius Burton added 10 points and seven assists and Nelly Cummings finished with eight points and seven assists.

UT Martin was led by KJ Simon, who had 11 points and five rebounds, with Parker Stewart adding nine points and three rebounds.

Leading 37-24 at halftime, the Panthers put the game away by opening the second half on a 12-4 run to take a 49-28 lead on Elliott’s 3-pointer with 17:28 left. They pushed their lead to 67-39 following Hinson’s dunk with 10:14 remaining.

Pitt took its largest lead of the game at 78-45 following Burton’s two free throws with 3:31 left in the game.

The Panthers never trailed against the Skyhawks, who were stifled by Pitt’s defense. UT Martin shot just 20 for 62 (32.3 percent) from the field, including a woeful 3 for 19 (15.8 percent) from 3-point range. The Skyhawks committed 17 turnovers that the Panthers converted into 25 points.

Pitt shot 26 for 71 (36.6 percent) from the field, including 11 for 41 (26.8 percent) from 3-point range, and outrebounded UT Martin 51-41.

The Panthers also dominated the first half.

Hinson had 11 points and six rebounds and Federiko added seven points and seven rebounds, as Pittsburgh shot 13 of 36 (36.1 percent) from the field, including 5 of 22 (22.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

UT Martin struggled mightily offensively in the first half.

Stewart scored seven points, but no other Skyhawk scored more than four points. The Skyhawks shot 9 for 28 (32.1 percent) from the field, including an abysmal 1 for 12 from 3-point range.

–Field Level Media