Pitt pounces on Memphis at Jimmy V Classic

NEW YORK (AP) -- Carl Krauser scored all but two of his 17 points at the free throw line to lead No. 11 Pittsburgh to a 70-51 victory over Memphis on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Panthers (6-0), who have held all their opponents this season to less than 60 points, improved their record at Madison Square Garden since 2002 to 12-3.

Chris Taft had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Pittsburgh, which opened the game with a 12-2 run and had its first 20-point lead at 30-10 with 9:04 left in the first half.

Memphis (5-3) shot just 29 percent (9-for-31), including 1-for-9 from 3-point range, as the Panthers took a 41-23 halftime lead.

The Tigers' forward combination of Rodney Carney and Sean Banks, who entered the game averaging 19.6 and 17.3 points, respectively, each went 3-for-11 from the field and had seven points in the opening half.

Banks finished with 18 points on 7-for-19 shooting and Carney had 11 points and was 4-for-18.

Krauser struggled from the field (1-for-9) but he went 15-for-18 from the line and had six assists and seven rebounds. His free throws with 9:30 left gave Pittsburgh its biggest lead of the game, 61-37.

Chevon Troutman had 12 points for Pittsburgh and Antonio Graves and Mark McCarroll each had 10.

The Panthers finished with a 51-35 advantage on the boards and they were 25-for-42 from the free throw line, while Memphis went 10-for-17.

Pittsburgh's success at Madison Square Garden is hardly surprising since seven Panthers are from the New York City area.