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Taft makes most of challenge
Carl Krauser
Jasmine Gehris/Tribune-Review
Kevin Gorman can be reached via e-mail or 412-320-7812.
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Facing the fact that the 2003-04 Big East Rookie of the Year was Pitt's third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, Taft challenged himself to be more aggressive, starting Saturday with Coppin State.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore center pounded the paint, leading all players with 18 points and 11 rebounds in Pitt's 73-42 victory over Coppin State before a crowd of 8,734 at Petersen Events Center.
"People don't understand," said Taft, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds over the first seven games. "They go by my name and say, 'Why is he not doing this, why is he not doing that,' without ever seeing me play. They don't know the way we play in Pittsburgh."
That would be unselfishly, as the No. 10 Panthers (8-0) cleared the bench in registering their third victory of 30 points or more this season. The others came against Loyola, Md., (93-57) and Duquesne (87-57).
Pitt's offense had to adjust to Coppin State's ever-changing defense, struggling against the 1-3-1. Top scorer Chevon Troutman was held to four points -- 12 below his average -- and 6-10 senior forward Mark McCarroll (concussion) did not play. The Panthers, though, shot 56.5 percent (13 of 23) from the field in the first half, finished with 30 points in the paint and won the battle of the boards, 38-30.
"We did a good job," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "Coppin State goes out and plays a difficult schedule on the road and they're very patient on the offensive end. We talked to our guys about playing long stretches on defense and going to get the rebound."
Taft and point guard Carl Krauser -- who added 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers -- were the only Panthers in double figures.
It was Taft's eighth career double-double and second this season, following a 13-point, 10-rebound performance against Memphis on Dec. 7 in the Jimmy V. Classic.
Meantime, Taft used his 50-pound advantage over Coppin State's 6-11, 210-pound Henry Colter to dominate the interior, grabbing five offensive boards and drawing six fouls.
"He was a lot better than I thought he would be," Coppin State coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell said. "When you're playing a zone, you have a tendency not to worry about big guys as much. I don't know if our guys were taking a snooze or whatever, but he got to the foul line and made shots. He's one of the better big guys we've faced this year."
And Coppin State (2-7), which plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, has played a rigorous non-conference schedule. The Eagles have road losses at Kentucky, Dayton, Texas, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
"Pittsburgh is right there among the better teams in the country," Mitchell said. "I don't think I need to play them anymore this year."
Pitt, by contrast, won its 46th consecutive regular-season non-conference home game and 23rd straight against non-conference opponents. The Panthers jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Coppin State scored at the 15:28 mark, and extended their lead to 36-16 by halftime.
Pitt got a scare when sophomore guard Antonio Graves hurt his left ankle with five seconds remaining in the first half, buckling to the floor and rocking back and forth. Graves is believed to have re-injured the high ankle sprain that bothered him before the season. He left the training room on crutches and is questionable for Thursday's home game against Richmond.
The Panthers turned to two freshmen to replace Graves. Ronald Ramon started the second half and had three points and two assists in 21 minutes. Keith Benjamin added two points, four rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes.
"When you lose a guy like Antonio, who's worked hard over the summer and improved his game, that's tough," Krauser said. "When you have guys like Ron and Keith, that helps."
Robert Pressey came off the bench to lead Coppin State with 12 points in 20 minutes and Nicholas King added 10.
The big numbers on the night, however, belonged to Taft. He attributed his success to hustle, working the screens to position himself to get the ball by pass or rebound. While Taft joked that he'd "love to have 40 and 20" a game, he is challenging himself to be productive within the system.
"It's a little tougher if you've go the mindset of saying, this team is not very good," Taft said. "I don't look at it like that. It doesn't matter who we're playing, Coppin State or whoever, I'm going to try to go out and do things to help us win."
